GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jay Ajayi ran for 134 yards and three touchdowns and No. 21 Boise State made a late defensive stand to hold off No. 12 Arizona 38-30 in the Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday.
Boise State (12-2) raced to a 21-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes behind a string of big plays before allowing Arizona to claw its way back.
The Wildcats marched quickly down the field in the closing seconds, but Kamalei Correa sacked Anu Solomon at the 10 on the final play.
Grant Hedrick threw for 309 yards and a touchdown, helping the Broncos cap a successful first season under Coach Bryan Harsin with their third Fiesta Bowl victory.
Arizona (10-4) fell flat in the Pac-12 Championship against Oregon in its previous game and labored early against the Broncos. The Wildcats rallied, but had trouble finishing drives, settling for three field goals after driving into Boise State’s end.
PEACH BOWL
(6) TCU 42, (9) MISSISSIPPI 3: Determined to show it should have been included in the four-team playoff, the Horned Frogs rode three touchdown passes from Trevone Boykin and a dominant defense to a victory over the Rebels in Atlanta.
Josh Doctson had two touchdown catches and Aaron Green ran for a score and added a touchdown reception for TCU (12-1).
Ole Miss (9-4) lost four of its last six games. Bo Wallace threw three interceptions, including one caught in the Rebels’ end zone by defensive end James McFarland for a touchdown.
Late in the third quarter, when the lead was 42-0, TCU fans targeted the No. 1 seed in the playoff when they chanted “We want Bama!”
The Rebels avoided the shutout when Gary Wunderlich kicked a 27-yard field goal with 7:18 remaining.
TCU was ranked No. 3 by the selection committee before crushing Iowa State 55-3 to end the season as Big 12 co-champions. The Horned Frogs were devastated to fall to No. 6.
ORANGE BOWL
(10) GEORGIA TECH 49, (8) MISSISSIPPI STATE 34: Justin Thomas ran for three touchdowns and threw for another, and Georgia Tech rushed for 452 yards to beat Mississippi State 49-34 in Miami Gardens.
Thomas ran for 121 yards and threw for 125. Synjyn Days rushed for 171 yards and three scores, including a 69-yarder that defused Mississippi State’s comeback bid.
Georgia Tech (11-3) earned its first Orange Bowl victory in 63 years.
Mississippi State (10-3) lost three of its final four games after being ranked No. 1 for five weeks.
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