Around the country

East

Cincinnati 26, Connecticut 23: At East Hartford, Conn., Derrick Stewart caught nine passes for 166 yards, including a 50-yard reception with less than a minute left to set up the winning field goal as the Bearcats (7-5, 4-3 Big East) beat the Huskies (4-7, 1-5).

South

North Carolina 45, Duke 44: At Durham, N.C., Brandon Tate returned a punt 54 yards for the go-ahead touchdown and Kentwan Balmer blocked an extra point that would have forced overtime, giving the Tar Heels (3-9, 2-6 ACC) a victory over the winless Blue Devils (0-11, 0-8).

Mississippi 20, Mississippi State 17: At Oxford, Miss., Marshay Adams returned a punt 47 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give the Rebels (4-8, 2-6 SEC) a win over the Bulldogs (3-9, 1-7).

Central Florida 31, UAB 22: At Orlando, Fla., Kyle Israel completed 19 of 22 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns and ran for the game-clinching touchdown as the Knights (4-8, 3-5 C-USA) defeated the Blazers (3-9, 2-6).

Southern University 21, Grambling State 17: At New Orleans, Kendall Addison ran 2 yards for the game-winning touchdown and Southern’s defense made a goal-line stand in the final two minutes as the Jaguars (5-6, 4-5 SWAC) defeated the Tigers (3-7, 3-5).

Troy 21, Middle Tennessee 20: At Murfreesboro, Tenn., Omar Haugabook threw two touchdown passes in the final 2:20 to help the Trojans (6-5, 5-1 Sun Belt) rally past the Blue Raiders (7-5, 6-1).

Louisiana-Lafayette 28, Arkansas State 13: At Lafayette, La., Tyrell Fenroy ran for three touchdowns and a career-high 178 yards on 26 carries as the Ragin’ Cajuns (6-6, 4-3 Sun Belt) defeated the Indians (6-6, 4-3).

East Carolina 21, N.C. State 16: At Raleigh, N.C., James Pinkney threw for 220 yards and connected with Aundrae Allison for a long touchdown just before halftime to lead the Pirates (7-5) past the Wolfpack (3-9).

Southern Mississippi 42, Marshall 7: At Hattiesburg, Miss., Jeremy Young threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Golden Eagles (8-4, 6-2) won the Conference USA East Division title with a win over the Thundering Herd (5-7, 4-4).

Florida Atlantic 31, Florida International 0: At Miami, Rusty Smith passed for two touchdowns to lead the Owls (5-7, 4-3 Sun Belt) to a victory over the Golden Panthers (0-11, 0-6).

Louisiana-Monroe 23, North Texas 3: At Monroe, La., Calvin Dawson rushed for 117 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries as the Warhawks (3-8, 2-4 SBC) got the victory over the Mean Green (3-9, 2-5).

Midwest

Missouri 42, Kansas 17: At Columbia, Mo., Chase Daniel threw for a career-best 356 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Tigers (8-4, 4-4 Big 12) to a win over the Jayhawks (6-6, 3-5).

Southwest

Rice 31, SMU 27: At Houston, Jarett Dillard scored three touchdowns and the Owls (7-5, 6-2 C-USA) secured their first bowl appearance since 1961 with a win over the Mustangs (6-6, 4-4).

Memphis 38, UTEP 19: At El Paso, Texas, Joseph Doss ran for three touchdowns and the Tigers (2-10, 1-7), formerly winless in Conference USA this season, denied the Miners (5-7, 2-3) a sixth victory for bowl eligibility with a win.

Far West

New Mexico 41, San Diego State 14: At Albuquerque, N.M., Rodney Ferguson ran for a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns and the Lobos (6-4, 4-4 MWC) scored 24 first-quarter points off three interceptions and a defensive stop to get the victory over the Aztecs (2-9, 2-5).

Associated Press