Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)

Moss, Utah run past West Virginia in Heart of Dallas

- By Stephen Hawkins

DALLAS » Zach Moss ran for 150 yards with a career-long 58-yard run for a touchdown, Tyler Huntley scored twice on 2-yard keepers and Utah got its fifth consecutiv­e bowl victory, a 30-14 win over West Virginia in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Tuesday.

On a drizzly and chilly day in Cotton Bowl Stadium, the Utes (7-6) led for good after Moss took a third-and-1 handoff, quickly burst into the open field and went all the way to the end zone to cap their opening drive.

Utah improved to 11-1 in bowl games under Kyle Whittingha­m, the former defensive coordinato­r whose debut as head coach was a Fiesta Bowl win at the end of the 2004 season. He co-coached that game with Urban Meyer, who had taken the Florida job three weeks earlier but returned to be part of Utah’s postseason win over Pittsburgh after Whittingha­m had been promoted to head coach. With the win, Whittingha­m tied Alabama’s Nick Saban for most bowl wins by an active coach.

West Virginia (7-6) finished the season with its third straight loss. The Mountainee­rs had only 153 total yards without junior quarterbac­k Will Grier, who broke a finger Nov. 18, and 1,000-yard rusher Justin Crawford, a senior who bypassed the bowl game in advance of the NFL draft.

Both of Huntley’s TDs came after West Virginia miscues. The first came after a muffed punt return set Utah up at the Mountainee­rs 13, and the second came after an offside penalty on a short punt gave the Utes a second chance on fourth down. Huntley then completed a 25-yard pass completion on the fourthand-3 play before scoring on another short run.

The Mountainee­rs missed Grier, who broke the middle finger on his throwing hand early in a loss against Texas. They also lost their regular-season finale without him.

Quick Lane Bowl

DETROIT » Daniel Jones threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Duke beat Northern Illinois 36-14 in the Quick Lane Bowl on Tuesday.

Jones finished with 338 yards of offense, while Shaun Wilson and Brittain Brown added touchdowns for Duke (7-6).

Marcus Childers threw for 234 yards and a score for Northern Illinois (8-5).

 ?? ROSE BACA - THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS VIA AP ?? Utah running back Zack Moss (2) runs for a touchdown against West Virginia during the first half of Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl in Dallas on Tuesday, Dec. 26.
ROSE BACA - THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS VIA AP Utah running back Zack Moss (2) runs for a touchdown against West Virginia during the first half of Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl in Dallas on Tuesday, Dec. 26.

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