Rams' 20-point fourth quarter surge to beat Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl. Johnson's 77-yard touchdown run with 1:46 remaining gave the Rams the lead for good, securing their first bowl win since 2001. Las Vegas Bowl Arizona 31, #16 BYU 21 December 20, 2008 • Sam Boyd Stadium • Las Vegas, Nevada • ESPN In the Cougars' fourth-consecutive trip to the Las Vegas Bowl, they outgained the Wildcats 444 yards to 416, but were unable to turn that offensive production into points and lost. Poinsettia Bowl #11 TCU 17, #9 Boise State 16 December 23, 2008 • Qualcomm Stadium • San Diego, California • ESPN In a game of teams whose BCS dreams were dashed late in the season, Boise State jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, but TCU running back Aaron Brown cut the lead to 13-7 with a 16-yard touchdown run with 24 seconds remaining in the first half. The Frogs took the lead for good on Joseph Turner's 17-yard touchdown run with 8:51 remaining in the fourth quarter. The win gave TCU their 3rd 11-win season in the last 4 years, and was Boise State's lone defeat of the year. Armed Forces Bowl Houston 34, Air Force 28 December 31, 2008 • Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, Texas • ESPN In a rare bowl game featuring a rematch from the regular season, the Cougars earned a season split with the Falcons with a 34-28 win. It was the Falcons' second consecutive appearance-and loss- in the Armed Forces Bowl, and was the Cougars' first bowl victory since 1980. Sugar Bowl #6 Utah 31, #4 Alabama 17 January 2, 2009 • Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana • FOX As a result of their 12-0 regular season and Mountain West Conference title, the Utes earned a spot in the Sugar Bowl and the $17 million pay-out that comes with it. They were heavy underdogs to Alabama, the SEC team that had spent much of the year ranked number one. The Utes jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead, but the Tide had pulled to within 21-17 early in the third quarter. The Utes responded with a 7-play, 71-yard drive capped by a Brian Johnson to David Reed touchdown pass, and added a Louie Sakoda field goal late in the fourth quarter to secure the 31-17 victory. Johnson ended the game with 336 yards