Kevin Davis had a career-high 148 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just nine carries and Jordan Brunson also ran for two TDs for Miami.
“Our kids deserve to go out in the dominant fashion they did,” Miami coach Chuck Martin said. “It was pretty fun to be a part of.”
Davis scored on a 4-yard run with 12:35 left in the third quarter, Matt Salopek forced a fumble that was recovered by Silas Walters and quarterback Brett Gabbert’s first rushing touchdown of the season — a 10-yard scramble that capped a 47-yard drive — made it 22-3 about 2 minutes later.
After the Rams failed to convert a fourth-and-4 from the 5, Davis took a hand off up the middle and raced untouched for a 97-yard touchdown to give the RedHawks a 26-point lead with 6:45 remaining in the third quarter. George Swarn’s 98-yard TD against Western Michigan in 1984 is the longest run in RedHawks history.
“It doesn’t feel real, you know. But the biggest thing about it is that I get to do it with the guys I love,” Davis said. “Going out in a way like that with the guys who’ve been through it all for the past few years, it’s amazing.”
Colorado State (8-5) committed four turnovers which the RedHawks converted into 19 points.
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Stephon Bailey and Peter Montini scored on a 1-yard run for the Rams.
Dom Dzioban made field goals of 34, 26 and 24 yards and the RedHawks led 9-3 lead at halftime. Dzioban’s 26 made field goals are tied with Sam Sloman (2019) — a seventh-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2019 NFL draft — for second most on the program’s single-season list. Graham Nicholson made 27 of 28 last season and won the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation’s top kicker.
The Rams made their first bowl appearance since 2017, when they lost 31-28 to Marshall at the New Mexico Bowl.
The Associated Press contributed.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
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