ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico: Jake Heaps threw four touchdown passes and finished with 264 yards passing to help Brigham Young University beat overmatched Texas-El Paso 52-24 Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl as college football's bowl season got underway. It capped a big turnaround for the Cougars, whose 1-4 start included a rare loss to instate rival Utah State. At that point, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall told his team it would be a remarkable feat to reach a bowl game and win it. Mission accomplished for the Cougars, who won five of their last seven regular-season games to become bowl eligible. Mendenhall's team showed just how far BYU came by dominating the Miners (6-7). Cody Hoffman had eight catches for 137 yards, while Joshua Quezada ran for 101 yards and J.J. DiLuigi added 98 yards on the ground to help the Cougars in their final contest before they begin play as an independent in football next season. Trevor Vittatoe, who postponed surgery on his left ankle just so he could play in the postseason, threw three TD passes for UTEP, all to Kris Adams on plays of 67, 37 and 49 yards. Humanitarian Bowl Northern Illinois 40, Fresno State 17: In Boise, Idaho, quarterback Chandler Harnish ran for two touchdown and threw for another as Northern Illinois downed Fresno State and made interim coach Tom Matukewicz a winner in his only game in charge. After failing on their opening possession, the Huskies were not stopped. They scored on their next seven possessions, getting touchdown runs of 7 and 28 yards from Harnish, and a 22-yard TD pass to Kyle Skarb in the final minute of the first half to take a 23-10 lead. New Orleans Bowl Troy 48, Ohio 21: In New Orleans, Corey Robinson threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns as Troy routed Ohio to set a New Orleans Bowl scoring record.
