Western Kentucky 49, Central Michigan 48: Brandon Doughty threw for 486 yards and five first-half touchdowns as the Hilltoppers held on to defeat Chippewas after nearly blowing a 35-point fourth-quarter lead in the inaugural Popeyes Bahamas Bowl at Nassau.

Doughty finished 31-of-42 and hooked up with 11 different receivers for Western Kentucky (8-5), which avenged a loss to Central Michigan in the 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl for its first bowl victory since moving to FBS in 2009. Willie McNeal (five catches, career-high 155 yards) and Jared Dangerfield (five catches, 87 yards) were among five Hilltoppers who caught a TD pass while Anthony Wales (95 yards rushing) and Leon Allen (52) each ran for a score.

Cooper Rush set career highs with 493 passing yards and seven touchdowns – including five in the fourth quarter – for the Chippewas (7-6), who scored 34 unanswered points over the final 11:37 after the Hilltoppers raced out to a 49-14 advantage. Titus Davis finished with six catches for 139 yards and four touchdowns, scoring his third TD of the fourth quarter as time expired on a wild play before Central Michigan failed on the ensuing two-point conversion.

Doughty orchestrated touchdown drives on all six of Western Kentucky’s first-half possessions, connecting with Joel German and Antwane Grant from 12 and 19 yards out, respectively, after Davis evened the score five minutes into the contest. Doughty sandwiched his fourth and fifth TD passes around Courtney Williams’ 30-yard touchdown catch on a fourth-and-15 play in the second quarter and Allen scored on a 1-yard run with four seconds left to make it 42-14 at the break.

After Wales ran for a 21-yard TD run for the only score of the third quarter, Rush found Davis (twice), Williams and Anthony Garland as the Chippewas stormed back. Central Michigan nearly completed the unthinkable rally when Jesse Kroll hauled in a Hail Mary at the 27 and Davis dove over the right pylon after three laterals, but the Chippewas fell short when Rush’s fade throw to the back corner of the end zone on the ensuing two-point conversion fell incomplete.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Western Kentucky became the first program in FBS history with both a 4,500-yard passer (Doughty, 4,872) and 1,500-yard rusher (Allen, 1,542) in the same season. … McNeal (171) became the school’s all-time catches leader on Doughty’s fifth scoring toss while Dangerfield (69) set the Western Kentucky single-season mark for most receptions. … Western Kentucky LB Terran Williams was ejected for targeting on a high hit on Rush midway through the first quarter.