DALLAS — Quarterback Riley Nelson hurriedly led Brigham Young to the line with a call from the sideline to spike the football and stop the clock.

Instead, Nelson faked the spike and threw his third touchdown pass to Cody Hoffman with 11 seconds left to give the Cougars a 24-21 victory over Tulsa on Friday in the Armed Forces Bowl.

"There is a play we have, red alert, that he called on his own, which is a fake spike and then throw a touchdown, or you better throw a touchdown," said BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, smiling. "To have a quarterback in that situation fake-spike it on his own and throw a touchdown and be on the same page with the receiver, that's the kind of magic of the guys that I get to coach."

The Cougars (10-3) wrapped up their season of independence by winning at least 10 games for the fifth time in Mendenhall's seven years. They won nine of their last 10 after consecutive losses in September.

BYU needed 12 plays to go 48 yards on its last drive. Nelson converted a fourth-and-nine with a 14-yard scramble and later ran 8 yards on third-and-five.

Out of timeouts at the 2 with the clock still running, Nelson decided to go with a play the Cougars hadn't practiced in about two months. And one he remembered seeing Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins pull off when watched the NFL as a kid.

Tulsa defensive back Dexter McCoil, who had two interceptions and a third nullified by a penalty, admitted "they caught us by surprise. They caught everybody by surprise."

Hoffman stood upright on the far-right side waiting for the snap, then took a few steps into the end zone and turned around to make his third TD catch of the game.

Hoffman had eight receptions for 122 yards.

G.J. Kinne threw three TD passes for Tulsa (8-5).

Insight Bowl

No. 19 Oklahoma 31, Iowa 14

Blake Bell ran for three touchdowns to help the Sooners (10-3) beat the Hawkeyes (7-6) in Tempe, Ariz.

An overhead camera crashed to the field near Iowa receiver Marvin McNutt in the closing minutes. McNutt became tangled in the wire after the camera landed a few yards behind him, but wasn't hurt.

Iowa trailed 21-0 before getting two touchdown passes from James Vandenberg.

Pinstripe Bowl

Rutgers 27, Iowa St. 13

Chas Dodd hit Brandon Coleman for an 86-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter and Jawan Jamison ran for two scores to lead the Scarlet Knights (9-4) past the Cyclones (6-7) at Yankee Stadium in New York.

Jamison finished with 134 yards on 27 carries for Rutgers, which ran its bowl winning streak to five.

Eric LeGrand, bound to a wheelchair more than a year after being paralyzed making a tackle for Rutgers during a game, was in the press box. Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano, holding a glass trophy, shouted, "Hey Big E! This one's for you, buddy."

Music City Bowl

Mississippi St. 23, Wake Forest 17

Vick Ballard ran for a career-high 180 yards and two touchdowns — from 60 and 72 yards — to lead the Bulldogs (7-6) over the Demon Deacons (6-7) in Nashville, Tenn.

Mississippi State has won five straight bowl games. Wake Forest lost five of its last six games.