D.j. Johnson returned an interception 39 yards and Ryan Bustin made a 28-yard field goal as time expired to give Texas Tech a 34-31 comeback victory over Minnesota last night in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Houston.
Seth Doege found Eric Ward on a short pass, and he outran a defender for a 35-yard scoring play to tie it at 31 with just more than a minute remaining.
Michael Carter intercepted two of Doege’s passes in the fourth quarter before the tying score, but Minnesota couldn’t convert either of the turnovers into points.
The Red Raiders (8-5) got their third straight bowl win to wrap up a month that began with coach Tommy Tuberville’s abrupt departure for the job at Cincinnati. Texas Tech has hired Kliff Kingsbury to replace him, but interim coach Chris Thomsen led the team against Minnesota (6-7). Kingsbury was at the game, watching from a suite.
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
Ohio 45, Louisiana-Monroe 14
In Shreveport, La., Tyler Tettleton threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns, and Beau Blankenship scored four touchdowns as the Bobcats (9-4) won their second straight bowl game and broke several Independence Bowl records, including the 31-point margin and 556 total yards.
Tettleton, the son of former major league catcher Mickey Tettleton, was especially sharp in the first half, completing 9 of 14 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns as Ohio built a 24-7 lead. He finished 14 of 22 and averaged more than 23 yards per completion.
Blankenship finished with 104 yards rushing. He had a school-record 1,604 yards rushing yards this season and topped the 100-yard mark 10 times. Chase Cochran caught three passes for 162 yards and a touchdown.
Louisiana-Monroe (8-5) struggled in its first bowl game after 19 seasons in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Kolton Browning completed 21 of 39 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns, but threw three first-half interceptions.