Western Michigan will have to wait another season for a shot at its third-ever bowl victory.
Bishop Davenport accounted for 356 total yards and three touchdowns on Saturday night as South Alabama knocked off the Broncos, 30-23, in the Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.
Davenport completed 15 of 24 passes for 271 yards, a pair of scores and an interception. He added 85 yards and a touchdown on 11 rushes, leading the Jaguars (7-6) to 537 total yards and 25 first downs.
Davenport’s main target was redshirt senior receiver Jeremiah Webb, who caught six passes for 182 yards and two scores, all in the first half. Kentrel Bullock added 130 yards on 17 carries, including a 22-yard TD run with 2:42 left in the game that made it 30-20.
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The Broncos (6-7) made it a one-possession game when Luka Zurak nailed a 48-yard field goal with 1:11 remaining. But South Alabama sealed the outcome when Bullock ripped off 8 and 5-yard runs for a first down, allowing the Jaguars to run out the clock.
Hayden Wolff hit on 17 of 27 passes for 196 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Western Michigan. Wolff found Anthony Sambucci for a 7-yard score at the 6:17 mark of the fourth quarter to get the Broncos within 23-20.
South Alabama entered the game as a 6.5-point favorite, but it was Western Michigan that got off to a fast start. The Broncos ripped off a 71-yard touchdown drive when they first got the ball, scoring via a 1-yard TD run from Jalen Buckley at the 10:31 mark of the first quarter.
Zurak upped the lead to 10-0 just 10 seconds into the second quarter on a 37-yard field goal, but the Jaguars answered on their next drive with Hamilton DiBoyan’s 24-yarder. South Alabama tied the game at 10 with 10:29 left in the first half on Davenport’s 52-yard scoring strike to Webb.
South Alabama took the lead for good with 4:50 remaining in the half when Davenport and Webb hooked up for a 45-yard touchdown, capping an 80-yard drive. Western Michigan cut its deficit to 16-13 by the half on Zurak’s 29-yard field goal, which came five plays after an interception.
Davenport made it 23-13 with 4:18 left in the third quarter with a 50-yard scoring jaunt.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Western Michigan rally falls short in Salute to Veterans Bowl
