Zambrasky Regional:
Toledo at Boise State: Heading to the blue turf in Boise for the second time in school history, to Toledo Rockets have tough matchup with a battle tested Boise State squad. The Broncos have been to many hostile environments and pulled out wins over several big time programs. The Broncos, top 31 in rushing and passing the football as well as 14th ranked offense in the nation, try to put the game out of reach early with 17 quick first quarter points to lead 17-0 after one quarter of action. Toledo finally wakes up in the second quarter and ends their drive with a 7-yard touchdown run to cut the Boise State lead to 17-7 in the second quarter. Both teams trade field goals as the first half comes to an end with Boise State controlling the game 24-10. Toledo pulls as close as 24-17 with a long drive to start the second half but Boise State pulls away with three second half touchdowns to defeat the Rockets 45-20 in the first quarterfinal. Boise State 45, Toledo 20.
Bironas Regional:
Louisiana Tech at Georgia Southern: In a semifinal matchup that no one saw coming into the 2014 season, the Bulldogs head down to Statesboro to face the FBS newbies Georgia Southern. Finding open field hard to find versus either defense, the Sun Belt and Confernece USA teams play the first 0-0 opening quarter of the tournament. That 0-0 scoreline does not last long into the second quarter as the Eagles nationally leading rushing attack moves the ball quickly downfield for a score to take a 7-0 lead with 10 minutes left in the first half. Back to back three and outs give the ball to Louisiana Tech with 3:45 left in the first half and 75 yards to go. The Bulldogs, on the back of running back Kenneth Dixon, tie the score at seven on a 13 yard scamper with :15 left in the first half, leading to a 7-7 tie at the break. Both offenses start to find more luck in the second half with a Sokol touchdown pass by the Bulldogs puts Louisiana Tech up 14-7 for only a minute as Eagle running back Matt Breida goes 80 yards to tie the game at 14. Georgia Southern's punishing rushing attack is benefitted by the Eagle defense forcing two turnovers and extend the lead to 24-14 with five minutes left in the game. Louisiana Tech drives down quickly and drills a 37-yard field goal to pull within a score at 24-17 but are unsuccessful in an onside attempt to fall 24-17. Georgia Southern 24, Louisiana Tech 17.Moss Regional:
Memphis at Marshall: Heading to West Virginia to face Marshall for the 9th time in school history, the surprise co-champs of the AAC from Memphis, face the one of the best overall teams to come out of the G5 in some time. The Tigers, coming off of a confidence building win over BYU in round one, jump out early to a 7-0 lead with Paxton Lynch sneaking the ball in from one yard out. Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato responds quickly with a 4-play, 74-yard drive that ends with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Shuler to tie things at seven. Both defenses then begin to show why they are top 20 nationally in points allowed as both high scoring offenses are held to field goals with the game heading to halftime 10-10. Bruising running back Devon Johnson finds his footing in the second half with eight straight carries to start the second half for 54 yards to put the Thundering Herd inside the Memphis ten yard line. Cato finishes the job with a 4-yard touchdown pass to give Marshall a 17-10 lead in the third quarter. Neither team can move the ball in the following possessions until Memphis rallies with seven minutes left in the game. The Tigers drive to the Marshall five yard line before facing a fourth and goal scenario. Memphis elects for the field goal to pull within 17-13 with 3:30 left in the game. After nearly turning the ball over on a botched kickoff return, the Thundering Herd again turn to Johnson to run out the clock. The running back gains three first downs before Marshall is stopped at the 44 yard line and forced to punt with :18 left in the game. Memphis' 74-yard hail mary attempt falls harmlessly to the ground and Marshall wins 17-13. Marshall 17, Memphis 13.Lynch Regional:
Cincinnati at Northern Illinois: Playing for the first time since 1995, the Bearcats head to Dekalb to face the vaulted running attack of Northern Illinois led by quarterback Drew Hare. Cincinnati comes out of the gates swinging with quarterback Gunner Kiel dissecting the Huskies defense with a series of on point passes that ends with a 14-yard touchdown strike that gives the Bearcats a 7-0 lead with only three minutes played. Northern Illinois shows off their rushing offense for the first time and in similar fashion to Cincinnati, weave their way to a quick touchdown to tie the game at seven with only six minutes played. Both teams struggle on their second possessions before Kiel tosses his second touchdown of the night, a 46-yard strike to Mekale McKay to take the lead at 14-7. From that point, the Bearcats take control of the game with 17 straight points to take a dominating 31-7 lead into the break. Down but not out, Northern Illinois drives downfield for a touchdown followed by a successful surprise onside kick to get back in the game. Four plays later, the Huskies hit for a 12-yard touchdown pass to pull within 31-17 with just over 18 minutes left in the game. Cincinnati stops the bleeding with a 34-yard field goal but proceed to give up another big run to Hare, this time 58 yards, to pull Northern Illinois within 34-24 heading into the fourth quarter. The much needed break between quarters gave Cincinnati a chance to compose themselves and drive for a 16-play, 74-yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock that ended with a 22-yard field goal and a 37-24 lead. The Huskies drove down and scored to make the score 37-31 but with only 1:30 left in the game. The deperate onside kick was unsuccessful, allowing Cincinnati to run out the clock and pull out the 37-31 win. Cincinnati 37, Northern Illinois 31.
Semifinals:
- Georgia Southern at Boise State
- Cincinnati at Marshall
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