Ryan Day has been eyeing Quinn Ewers since he was in eighth grade. He will get another look at his former recruit from the opposing sideline at the Cotton Bowl soon.

Now, Ewers is set to wrap up his third year as starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns with the Jan. 10 matchup against Day’s Buckeyes.

Before that, he was the nation’s top prospect when he reclassified to the Class of 2021, his lone season in Columbus.

And long before even that, Ewers was a talented junior high school kid who showed up for a camp at Ohio State and, Day said, “just had a tremendous release.”

“And I remember grabbing him and grabbing his dad and said: ‘Man, you got a bright future ahead of you,’” Day recalled on Friday, a week before the on-field reunion. “I don’t know if this is good or bad, but we’re going to offer you a scholarship to Ohio State, even in eighth grade. Again, I don’t know if that’s legal or not but we did.

“And then we went through the process. And boy, it was strange how it all shook out. He decided to come, really, in the middle of preseason camp for us. And so it was a little bit strange. But again with college football you look to adapt the best you can.”

It wasn’t a storybook ending for the pairing, though their careers have gone just fine on separate paths toward the same goal: a national championship.

CJ Stroud took over the Ohio State offense and emerged as a star on his way to going to the Houston Texans as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

Ewers headed to Texas for a more immediate chance at a starting job. He has passed for 8,845 yards with 66 touchdowns against 23 interceptions for the Longhorns.

“It was disappointing for us, but we certainly understood,” Day said. “And from afar, I’ve watched him, and he’s got a lot of talent. He’s a really good player. He comes from a great family. And he’s had a great career at Texas.

“And a lot of people here still have good relationships with him and think the world of him.”

But the Buckeyes coach and onetime young prodigy will meet again on opposite sides.

Kicker Bellenfan, linebacker Murdock lead Buffalo past Liberty: Upton Bellenfan kicked four field goals, linebacker Red Murdock led a dominant defense with 13 tackles and a pick six and Buffalo completed a turn-around season with a 26-7 win over Liberty in the Bahamas Bowl on Saturday.

The Bulls, 3-9 last season, finished 9-4 under first-year coach Pete Lembo and won their fourth-straight bowl game. They also became the first team to win the Bahamas Bowl twice.

Bellenfant had a career-long 52-yard field goal in the first quarter and added kicks of 42 and 20 yards to give Buffalo a 9-0 lead at the half.

Al-Jay Henderson, who had 21 carries for 119 yards, scored on a 45-yard burst up the middle on the first possession of the second half to make it 16-0. Henderson became the 11th player in program history to run for more than 1,000 yards.

Minnesota beats Virginia Tech for 8th straight bowl win: Moments before being doused with a five-gallon tub of mayonnaise, Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck shouted “make it a double!”

Then the 44-year-old coach strapped on a Duke’s Mayo Bowl necktie and — with his players watching and chanting “Mayo! Mayo!” — was drenched on a chilly 40-degree night, a celebration that has become part of the game tradition.

“I told our players if they had 15 tubs of those, I would have done all 15,” Fleck said. “It’s worth it to be a champion at the end of the year.”

Max Brosmer threw for 211 yards and a touchdown, Darius Taylor ran for 113 yards a TD and also threw for a score and the Golden Gophers extended their bowl winning streak to eight with a 24-10 victory over Virginia Tech on Friday night.

Elijah Spencer had six catches for 81 yards and two TDs for Minnesota (8-5) and was selected the game’s MVP after returning to Charlotte, where he played two seasons for the 49ers.

“It was big time because I didn’t think I would have another opportunity to play in front of all of my friends and family,” Spencer said. “A lot of friends and family haven’t seen me play since I went to Minnesota, so being able to play in my backyard, hey, why not?’

Pare rushes for a 73-yard TD late and Texas State beats North Texas: Jordan McCloud threw for 307 yards and a touchdown, Lincoln Pare ran for a 73-yard touchdown with 2:25 remaining in the fourth quarter and Texas State held off North Texas 30-28 on Friday night in the First Responder Bowl.

Texas State (8-5) secured eight wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1981-82. North Texas (6-7) was seeking its first bowl win since the 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Pare carried 21 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns. His first score, from 1-yard out, capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes to give Texas State a 23-14 lead midway through the third quarter.