With Link: College roundup: Armed Forces Bowl ends with brawl

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Tulsa safety TieNeal Martin, center, and Mississippi State linebacker Aaron Brule, right, fight alongside teammates at the conclusion of the Armed Forces Bowl on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas. Ian Maule/Tulsa World via AP

FORT WORTH, Texas — A bowl victory that increased Mississippi State’s win total this season to four and No. 22 Tulsa’s failed attempt to add another unlikely comeback to its impressive collection this season took a back seat to the melee that broke out Thursday shortly after the Armed Forces Bowl ended.

True freshman Will Rogers scored his first rushing touchdown of the season and had a 13-yard TD pass to lead Mississippi State past Tulsa, 28-26, in a game that was tense from the start.

Minutes after it ended, the teams became involved in a large brawl on the field, with players punching and kicking one another. Tulsa Coach Greg Montgomery said sophomore safety Kendarin Ray, who was helped off the field after being at the bottom of a dogpile during a scrum, was treated for “some sort of concussion.”

“I’m not sure what exactly caused that,” said Mississippi State Coach Mike Leach, who referred to the altercation as a “mosh pit.” “It was something before the game, too. We’ve never had any problem with that the entire season, so I can only guess without seeing the film.”

In a video posted from Mississippi State’s locker room, Malik Heath joked about kicking a Tulsa player in the facemask.

Jo’quavious Marks scored a rushing touchdown on the game’s first possession and Emmanuel Forbes returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown for the Bulldogs (4-7), who finished the season with a second straight win in a game played at TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium in cold, rainy conditions.

LIBERTY BOWL: Reserve quarterback Austin Kendall threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Simmons with 5:10 left and West Virginia held off Army 24-21 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Army (9-3) had a chance to tie it with 1:50 left, but Quinn Maretzki’s 39-yard field goal was wide left. Josh Chandler ended Army’s final possession with an interception, and led the Mountaineers (9-3) with 13 tackles.

Simmons also scored on a 5-yard pass from starting quarterback Jarret Doege.

Army quarterback Tyhier Tyler had three rushing touchdowns – from 1, 6, and 2 yards – to tie a Liberty Bowl record.

The Black Knights initially were scheduled to play in the Independence Bowl but seemed left out of the bowl lineup after that game was canceled. They got the opportunity to play in the Liberty Bowl after Tennessee (3-7) opted out because of COVID-19 cases.

ARIZONA BOWL: Antonio Phillips returned an early interception 53 yards for a touchdown, Drew Plitt accounted for two scores and Ball State beat No. 19 San Jose State 34-13 in Tucson, Arizona.

San Jose State (7-1, No. 22 CFP) had to play without its two coordinators and Mountain West Conference player of the year Cade Hall because of COVID-19 and other issues.

Ball State (7-1) took advantage, quick-hitting its way down the field on offense after Phillips’ interception for a 27-0 lead in the first quarter. The Mid-American champions bogged down in the second half but had four interceptions to win their first bowl game in 10 tries.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

(6) WISCONSIN 71, (21) MINNESOTA 59: Micah Potter had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Badgers (9-2, 3-1 Big Ten) to a win over the Gophers (9-2, 2-2 Big Ten) in Madison, Wisconsin.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

(5) SOUTH CAROLINA 75, FLORIDA 59: Aliyah Boston had a career-high 28 points along with 16 rebounds, and the Gamecocks (6-1) opened Southeastern Conference play with their 13th consecutive win over the visiting Gators (7-2).

(14) MARYLAND 96, PENN STATE 82: Ashley Owusu scored a career-high 34 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Terrapins (6-1, 2-0 Big Ten) to a road win over the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-2).

NEBRASKA 65, (15) NORTHWESTERN 63: Sam Haiby made a game-winning putback just before the buzzer as the Cornhuskers (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) beat the Wildcats (4-1, 2-1) in Lincoln, Nebraska.

(16) MICHIGAN 92, WISCONSIN 49: Leigha Brown scored 26 points as cruised the Wolverines (6-0, 1-0 Big Ten) cruised past the Badgers (3-3, 0-3) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

(20) INDIANA 79, ILLINOIS 56: Mackenzie Holmes of Gorham scored 18 points, Grace Berger added 15 and the Hoosiers (6-2, 4-0 Big Ten) got their 11th straight win over the visiting Illini (2-4, 0-3).

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