ATLANTA -- The 18th-ranked Houston Cougars might not have slipped into this year's College Football Playoff, but they certainly made the most of their New Year's Six appearance against No. 9 Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. In what turned into a fun, back-and-forth game late, the Cougars (13-1, 7-1 American) held on to beat the Seminoles (10-3, 6-2 ACC) 38-24 Thursday in front of an announced crowd of 71,007 inside the Georgia Dome.
Top-flight dual-threat quarterback Greg Ward Jr., who took a pounding all day, powered an offense that generated 448 total yards and 27 first downs.