Exciting finishes are usually reserved for the National Funding Holiday Bowl but the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl upstaged its older sibling for once.
Wednesday evening, Dec. 21, at Qualcomm Stadium, the Brigham Young University Cougars held off the University of Wyoming Cowboys, 24-21, on an interception by BYU’s Kai Nacua after the Cowboys had driven to the Cougar 30-yard line in the dying moments of the game played before 28,114 fans.
Nacua’s interception with 1:22 remaining in the game sent the BYU sideline into a frenzy and its fans into a delirium. Wyoming faithful, meanwhile, were sent into a state of shock.
The bowl game win was the first for the Cougars since defeating San Diego State University, 23-6, in the 2012 Poinsettia Bowl and the first win for first-year BYU head coach Kalani Sitake.
Three San Diego County prep products enjoyed the sweet taste of victory. Senior receiver Nick Kurtz (Valhalla) caught three passes for 59 yards. He caught a four-yard pass on BYU’s first offensive play of the game and later caught a 39-yard pass to set up the Cougars’ third touchdown.
Mission Hills alums Fred and Troy Warner also made memorable holiday homecomings. Fred Warner made 10 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss.
“It was a storybook ending for me,” said Kurtz, who caught 49 passes for 541 yards with two touchdowns in the regular season. “I was working at Qualcomm Stadium a couple of years ago and watching the game while I was working. To make it here the way I did and experience that with a group of fine young men … I couldn’t imagine anything better.
“Coach did a great job of making us feel comfortable and making us feel that he was happy for us to be on his team. We were just so well taken care of. We all loved each other and played for each other. There’s not one kid on this team who would say they didn’t want to play for BYU. We’re proud to represent this school and win a bowl game like this.”
After building a commanding 24-7 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, it appeared the Cougars were destined to wrap up a relatively easy win in the 12th annual bowl game by simply running out the clock. The Cowboys, however, had other ideas.
Tanner Gentry scored on a nine-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Allen with 6:32 left in the fourth quarter to trim BYU’s lead to 24-14.
Allen then connected with Gentry on a 23-yard touchdown pass with 3:00 left in the game to bring Wyoming within three points on the scoreboard.
The Cougars received the ensuing kickoff but Wyoming made a huge defensive play with a sack on BYU signal-caller Tanner Mangum at the 10-yard line. The Cougars punted, with the Cowboys receiving the ball at their own 49yard line with 1:52 left.
Allen threw a screen pass to Brian Hill that gained 19 yards. With the ball already in range for a potential game-tying field goal, it looked like Wyoming was in position to dictate the outcome of the contest. Would the Cowboys tie the game and send it to overtime or would Wyoming possibly score the game-winning touchdown?
Neither happened. Allen scrambled to his right and then lofted a pass across his body that fell short of the mark to the intended receiver – and into the hands of Nacua.
Game over.
It was the second pick thrown by Allen in the game.
The pick was Nacua’s sixth of the season and 14th of his career.
It was a game-saver for the Cougars.
“To compete in the Poinsettia Bowl is an accomplishment in itself and the win is for the players and the fans, so for me as a coach just being able to help these young men achieve their goals on the football field and help facilitate the goals off the field is my job, (I’m) happy to be a part of it,” the BYU head coach explained. “The win is all them …”
The game-saving interception served to liven up a game that was largely uneventful through the first half due to heavy rain as the teams failed to convert on seven third-down opportunities.
The wet conditions set up the game’s first scoring opportunity when the snap on a punt by Wyoming was fumbled and BYU got the ball on the Cowboy three-yard line. Two plays later Mangum was in the end zone for a rushing touchdown and a 7-0 Cougar lead.
Wyoming got a chance to even the game when Andrew Wingard intercepted a pass by Mangum. However, the drive stalled and the Cowboys attempted a 42-yard field goal. The snap was mishandled when the holder could not properly grip the wet ball and the field goal try went awry.
The miss-play would later prove critical at the end of the game as Wyoming lost by three points.
BYU would promptly march 66 yards down field to boot a 27-yard field goal off the foot of kicker Rhett Almond to take a 10-0 lead.
In a bizarre play late in the third quarter, BYU’s Tanner Balderee caught his own deflection in the end zone for a touchdown. Balderee first got a hand on the ball before it deflected off a Wyoming player’s hands and then back into his own at the back of the end zone.
The play started at the five-yard line and the touchdown boosted the Cougars to a 17-7 lead.
A 36-yard touchdown run by Jamaal Williams with 14:07 to play in the fourth quarter boosted the Cougars to a seemingly comfortable 17-point lead.
Few at the time would realize that this would prove the game-winning touchdown.
Williams led BYU with 210 rushing yards and scored one touchdown to earn the game’s offensive MVP honors of the game.
“BYU’s Sitake called Wyoming’s missed field goal and punt fumble “huge” in determining the outcome of the game.
“I think if you look at so many different moments where you — where the elements had an affect on the game, but worked in our favor on that one and also the punt, so we will take it and both teams had to play in the weather, so it caused problems for both teams,” the BYU head coach said. “But I think that we were more fortunate with the weather and all that.”
National Funding Holiday Bowl
Golden Gophers rally to win National Funding Holiday Bowl in 17-12 upset over Cougars
Qualcomm Stadium was turned into a sea of red Tuesday evening (Dec. 27) as the red and gray-clad Washington State Cougars met the red and yellow-clad University of Minnesota Golden Gophers gathered on the field. It was the third appearance in the bowl game for WSU and the first for Minnesota.
Fans were still filing into the 70,000-seat venue well into the second quarter. The late-comers didn’t miss too much.
Washington State took a 3-0 lead with 6:23 left in the first quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Erik Powell.
Otherwise, the teams took turns punting to each other.
In a game known for its unpredictable turns and exciting finishes, the 39th edition of San Diego’s premier college football bowl game had a rather inauspicious beginning.
Washington State came out firing on defense, stopping the Golden Gophers on their first possession, and then began firing on offense behind quarterback Luke Falk, who completed 11 of 14 attempts for 81 yards.
By contrast, Minnesota’s Mitch Leidner completed of five attempts for just 26 yards.
The Golden Gophers’ running game out-distanced that of WSU 36 yards to 23 yards, though gains by both teams were mostly minimal. Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith each broke off longest runs of eight yards for Minnesota while Gerard Wicks ripped off a nine-yard run for the Cougars’ longest gain of the first quarter.
Not exactly stuff to get excited over unless one happened to be a hard-core fan of either team.
More statistics: Robert Lewis led Washington State with 39 receiving yards on four catches; Drew Wolitarsky had one catch for 19 yards to lead the Gophers.
In other words, it was mostly a yawner for the 48,704 fans who eventually did file into the stadium.
Midway though the second quarter, Minnesota’s offense came to life as it slowly inched its way down the field on a series of runs — guided by an 11-yard gain by Leidner and another good ground-gainer by Smith — that moved the ball to the WSU 20-yard line.
But a penalty and incomplete pass brought up fourth down and a 43-yard field goal attempt by Emmit Carpenter. The ball began dipping as it approached the goalposts and hit one of the posts, then bounced through to tie the game with 7:26 to play in the quarter.
The total offensive yards for both teams with three minutes left in the first half reflected the defensive nature of the game – 119 yards for WSU and 96 yards for Minnesota. The teams combined for 11 first downs.
But the tide turned with 2:29 to play in the half when Washington State recovered a Minnesota fumble at the Golden Gophers’ 38-yard line.
A pass to Jamal Morrow moved the ball to the 35-yard line and Morrow then carried the ball for a one-yard loss. On third-and-long, Lewis made a diving catch at the 12-yard line to put the Cougars in good scoring position.
The play, which went for 24 yards, was under video review for several minutes before the call was confirmed.
But WSU promptly went backward on a 12-yard sack by the Golden Gophers. An incomplete pass in the end zone left the ball at the 24-yard line with 44 seconds to play in the half.
Falk appeared to hit the big play on the next play but C.J. Dimry was ruled to not have possession of the ball when he went out of bounds at the one-yard line.
That brought up fourth-down-and-22 and Powell returned to the field to attempt a 40-yard field goal that was good with 33 seconds remaining in the half.
6-3 Cougars.
The second half was a different story, however, with 21 points scored between the teams and the outcome not determined until the final minute. Minnesota scored 14 of those points to secure a relatively low-scoring – but nonetheless rewarding — 17-12 victory.
Washington State started the second half on its own 15-yard line. The Cougars kept advancing the ball, reaching the Golden Gopher 36 before Falk was sacked for a six-yard loss.
A punt followed. Minnesota then got its offense in gear for good.
A reverse by Rashad Still advanced the ball to the WSU 39. Leidner then hit Wolitarsky for a big gain to the 15-yard line.
A fortuitous play resulted in a touchdown for the Golden Gophers, who entered the game as a 10-point underdog. With 3:23 to play in the third quarter, Leidner threw into the end zone but a WSU player tipped the ball right into the arms of Minnesota receiver Shannon Brooks.
The PAT was good, resulting in a 10-6 lead for the Golden Gophers.
Minnesota scored its second touchdown on a nine-yard run by Smith with 2:06 left in the game. The score was set up on an interception by Adekunle Ayinde
Falk got WSU on the scoreboard with 33 seconds left in the game on an eight-yard pass to Kyle Sweet. However, the two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Cougars with a five-point deficit on the scoreboard.
That was it when WSU failed to recover an onside kick.
There would be no heroic comeback to end this one.
Extra points
The teams combined for 244 total yards in the first half: 134 yards for WSU and 110 yards for Minnesota.
Leidner finished the game 11-for-20 passing with 129 yards and one touchdown. Smith led the Golden Gophers with 17 rushes for 74 yards and one TD to earn the MVP offensive award.
Wolitarsky had five catches for 73 yards to lead Minnesota receivers.
Falk was a pass-throwing machine for WSU. He attempted 51 passes, completed 30 for 264 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Lewis led the Cougars with 86 yards on six catches.
WSU entered the game averaging 497.5 yards per game and 40.3 points. But the Golden Gophers put a muzzle on the Cougars by holding them to 303 total yards.
Minnesota’s Blake Cashman received the MVP defensive award.
While completing just more than 50 percent of his passes, Leidner made the big plays on offense when he needed to for Minnesota, which improved to 9-4 in winning its second consecutive bowl game. Washington State finished 8-5.
The win was a huge morale booster for the Golden Gophers, who played without 10 players suspended by the university in the wake of an early season sex assault scandal, plus three more injured linemen. A possbile boycott of the Holiday Bowl game was in the balance until an agreement was worked out between university administrators and spokesmen for the embattled football team.
Locals only
WSU had four East County players on its roster: Helix High graduates Jahad Woods (linebacker) and Mason Vinyard (rushing linebacker), Patrick Henry alumnus Desmon Patmon (wide receiver) and Valhalla grad Danny Bender (defensive lineman).
All are freshmen. Patmon appeared in pre-game warm-ups.
Bruce Binkowski, former executive director of the San Diego Bowl Game Association, served as the game’s public address announcer.
Minnesota practiced at Southwestern College leading up to Thursday’s Holiday Bowl game.
Mountain West teams finished 4-3 in this season’s bowl games, Highlights have been San Diego State’s 34-10 win over Houston in the Las Vegas Bowl, New Mexico’s 23-20 win over the University of Texas-San Antonio in the New Mexico Bowl and Hawaii’s 52-35 win over Middle Tennessee in the Hawaii Bowl.
Air Force scored 42 unanswered points to defeat South Alabama, 45-21, in the Arizona Bowl on Dec. 30.
Mountain West Bowl Game Tie-ins:
New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico 23, Texas-San Antonio 20
Las Vegas Bowl: San Diego State 34, Houston 10
Poinsettia Bowl: BYU 24, Wyoming 21
Potato Bowl: Idaho 61, Colorado State 50
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii 52, Middle Tennessee 35
Cactus Bowl: Baylor 31, Boise State 12
Arizona Bowl: Air Force 45 South Alabama 21
Santana High School student earns Dr Pepper Most Inspirational Award
Senior from Santana High School to be honored at National Funding Holiday Bowl
Santana High School senior football player Devan Henselmeier has been selected from a pool of San Diego county student-athletes to receive the 2016 Dr Pepper Most Inspirational Player Award. Henselmeier was presented with a $2,000 scholarship on the field at the National Funding Holiday Bowl Dec. 27 at Qualcomm Stadium.
The Dr Pepper Most Inspirational Player program aims to recognize a San Diego County high school football player who, through their presence, actions and words of encouragement, serves as an inspirational example to their teammates.
Henselmeier, who plays as a defensive end for the Sultans, is a long time football player with a passion for the game. He’s also had to overcome personal adversity.
At the beginning of the 2015 football season, Henselmeier’s mother lost her fight to breast cancer. Despite going through the battle of losing his biggest fan, he still had an outstanding junior year. He recorded 11.5 sacks, made first team all-conference and received the co-defensive team MVP award.
However, in the final game of his junior year, a knee injury ended his season prematurely. He went eight months without a diagnosis.
Two weeks before camp started, he found out that he had torn his MCL, ACL and meniscus. At this time, his MCL and meniscus had healed on their own, but his ACL was still torn.
The doctor gave him two options: play and risk re-injuring his knee or forfeit his senior year and undergo surgery.
Henselmeier chose to play his entire senior year with only a brace as support. He had the opportunity to play alongside his team in the San Diego Section Division IV championship Game, as well as represent his mother in the month of October, during which the football team wore her initials over pink wristbands in each game.
He ranked fourth on the team with 53 tackles and third with four sacks.
Overcoming abundant adversity through his high school football career, Henselmeier continues to serve as a source of inspiration for his teammates and coaches, and is certainly deserving of the Dr Pepper Most Inspirational Player Award, according to judges.
The Dr Pepper Most Inspirational Player Award is supported by Rock 105.3, XTRA 1360 Fox Sports San Diego and the Kiwanis Club of San Diego.
