LAS VEGAS — Donnel Pumphrey seemed nowhere near as excited about the chance to become the NCAA career rushing record as his San Diego State teammates during the week leading up to his final game.
Fittingly, when he broke the record on a 15-yard toss sweep to the right early in the fourth quarter, Pumphrey ended being pushed out of bounds on the sideline where he could be immediately swarmed by his friends and coaches.
Pumphrey finished with 115 yards rushing and a touchdown in San Diego State’s 34-10 victory over Houston in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Pumphrey passed former Wisconsin star Ron Dayne’s mark of 6,397 yards and wrapped up his sensational career in his Nevada hometown with 6,405 yards, earning the game’s most valuable player honors.
Pumphrey’s senior total of 2,133 yards rushing ranks in the top 10 for an FBS player.
“It means the world to me,” Pumphrey said on the field immediately after the game as his father wiped away tears before hugging him.
It means just as much to his teammates.
“It’s emotional,” running back Rashaad Penny said. “To watch that guy do what he do and accomplish so many goals, it’s amazing.”
“We’re just as fired up as he is,” linebacker Calvin Munson said. “All of our defensive guys hate him in practice because he is good and he gets us better. He couldn’t have done it without the O-line, the fullbacks, the offense.
“I’m just trying to take some credit for you,” Munson joked, with a smiling Pumphrey sitting next to him.
Head coach Rocky Long turned to Munson and responded: “You don’t block anybody.”
Ron Smith returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown, Curtis Anderson caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Christian Chapman, Juwan Washington ran for a touchdown, and John Baron kicked two field goals for the Aztecs (11-3). They overcame a 10-0 first-quarter deficit against the Cougars (9-4) to turn their second consecutive bowl win into a laugher.
NEW MEXICO BOWL
NEW MEXICO 23, TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO 20
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Richard McQuarley had two short touchdown runs and New Mexico won a bowl for the second time in a half-century, topping Texas-San Antonio.
The Lobos’ only win since taking the 1961 Aviation Bowl had been a 2007 victory over Nevada in the New Mexico Bowl.
Lamar Jordan ran for 81 yards and threw a 34-yard pass to Dameon Gamblin that set up McQuarley’s 1-yard burst for a 23-13 lead in the fourth quarter. The Lobos (9-4) gave coach Bob Davie his first bowl win — he lost three times at Notre Dame and also last year with New Mexico in this bowl.
Jarveon Williams ran for 125 yards for the Roadrunners (6-7). They lost in the first bowl appearance in the program’s six-year history.
AUTONATION CURE BOWL
ARKANSAS STATE 31, UCF 13
ORLANDO, Fla. — Justice Hansen threw three touchdown passes to Kendall Sanders to help Arkansas State beat UCF.
Hansen completed 12 of 26 passes for 205 yards, hookiong up with Sanders for touchdown strikes of 12, 75 and 17 yards. The biggest plays of the night came from the Red Wolves’ special teams. They scored on a blocked punt and produced two turnovers that were turned into touchdowns.
The Red Wolves (8-5) sealed the victory when they went up 31-13 on Sanders’ 17-yard scoring reception early in the fourth quarter. That touchdown was set up after UCF returner Chris Johnson mishandled a punt and it was recovered by Logan Moragne at the Knights 37.
The tone for the special teams was set in the first quarter when Johnston White broke through the line to block Caleb Houston’s punt and B.J. Edmonds fell on the ball in the end zone to put the Red Wolves ahead 7-0 in the first 4 minutes. The Red Wolves took a 17-0 lead over the Knights (6-7) in the first quarter after a UCF fumbled kickoff return set up Hansen’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Hansen.
CAMELLIA BOWL
APPALACHIAN STATE 31, TOLEDO 28
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Marcus Cox rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown and Michael Rubino kicked the go-ahead 39-yard field goal to lift Appalachian State past Toledo.
The Mountaineers (10-3) won the game in Alabama’s capital city on a late field goal for the second straight year, this one with 5:14 left.
Cox became the ninth FBS player with four 1,000-yard seasons and the 22nd to top 5,000 in his career. Game MVP Taylor Lamb passed for 119 yards and a touchdown and ran for 126 yards and a score.
Kareem Hunt covered 42 yards on four straight rushes to propel Toledo (9-4) down the field after the field goal. Damion Jones-Moore was stopped on third down.