Bowl Games: No. 19 BYU takes down UCLA in Las Vegas Bowl

LAS VEGAS—Eathyn Manumaleuna blocked a field goal as time expired to give No. 19 BYU a 17-16 victory over UCLA on Saturday night in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Kai Forbath had kicked field goals of 52 and 50 yards to keep the Bruins in it and UCLA drove almost the length of the field in the final 2 minutes to line up Forbath for the potential winner. But Manumaleuna got his hand on the kick and the Cougars got their first win over the Bruins since Steve Young was the quarterback.

Max Hall completed 21 of 35 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns, giving the No. 10 Cougars 11 wins on the season.

UCLA out-gained BYU 316 yards to 268, but failed to convert the key plays necessary for victory.

The loss puts the Bruins at 6-7 for the season.

New Mexico 23, Nevada 0: In Albuquerque, N.M., for coach Rocky Long, it was just the next game, another brick to continue building his program.

For delighted New Mexico fans, it marked the end of a 46-year skid.

Paul Baker ran for 167 yards in his first start, and Donovan Porterie threw for career-high 354 yards and two touchdowns to help New Mexico beat Nevada 23-0 in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday.

The Lobos (9-4) ended a 46-year span without a postseason victory and gave Long, the team's 10th-year coach, his first bowl win in five tries.

"It gets it off our back. We don't have to listen to it anymore," Long said. "But this program was good before we won today."

Long was both defiant and jovial in the interview room, scolding reporters for focusing on the bowl losses — including Long's 0-4 mark before Saturday.

"It's you people who make it so important that we have to win to be justified," he said. "It's you folks that write that stuff, not us. We believe. Our players believe. I believe.

"I'm glad you're giving me a soap box, by the way," he added, drawing laughter.

Cincinnati 31, Southern Miss 21: In Birmingham, Ala., Ben Mauk shrugged off mistakes and Southern Miss defenders alike, and helped No. 20 Cincinnati make one more entry into an impressive season.

Outgoing Golden Eagles coach Jeff Bower, meanwhile, couldn't put another win on his ledger.

The hard-to-tackle Mauk passed for 334 yards and four touchdowns, and DeAngelo Smith intercepted three passes Saturday, leading the Bearcats to a 31-21 victory over Southern Miss in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

The victory gave Cincinnati (10-3) its second 10-win season and first since 1951, while virtually assuring a spot in the final rankings for the first time.

"It's kind of finishing off what's been a really important season in UC football," first-year coach Brian Kelly said. "It started out with waking up a program that maybe had nodded off a little bit. It took us six wins this year to get ranked in the Top 25. I don't know that it will take six next year."

Mauk, the game's most valuable player, completed 30 of 52 passes and overcame three interceptions to become only the third Bearcats player to have a 3,000-yard passing season. It was a nice finish for the former Wake Forest starter, but a difficult one for Southern Miss (7-6) and Bower.