If Snyder retires, Kansas State sends him out with 210th win
PHOENIX — Alex Delton ran for 158 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, leading Kansas State to a 35-17 Cactus Bowl victory over UCLA on Tuesday night in what could be the final game of coach Bill Snyder’s career.
Delton replaced Skylar Thompson late in the first quarter and scored on runs of 68 yards, 3 yards and 1 yard. Alex Barnes added 117 yards and a touchdown for the Wildcats, who rushed for 345 yards.
Kansas State (8-5) struggled in the first half against UCLA’s potent offense but shut down the Bruins in the second to give Snyder his 210th win with the Wildcats.
UCLA (6-7) played without top NFL prospect Josh Rosen, who’s recovering from a concussion, and built a 10-point halftime lead without its star quarterback.
Snyder, 78, has not decided whether he will return for a 27th season or retire again to spend time with his family.
The coach made a quarterback change in the first quarter of the Cactus Bowl, replacing Thompson after an interception. Delton had an immediate impact with his legs, bursting through a hole in the middle, making a tackler miss and racing 68 yards for a touchdown.
Snyder took a gamble in the third quarter, opting to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1. Delton came through again, bulling his way through a massive pile — with some help from his teammates — for a hard-earned score.
UTAH 30, WEST VIRGINIA 14
Zack Moss ran for 150 yards, including a careerlong 58-yard run for a touchdown on the Utes’ opening drive in the Heart of Dallas Bowl as they went on to beat the Mountaineers.
Utah is now 11-1 in postseason games under Kyle Whittingham, who matched Alabama’s Nick Saban for the most bowl wins by an active coach.
“He knows how to coach the team, and he always caps the year off right,” Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley said.
Huntley scored twice on 2-yard keepers , but Utah (7-6) led for good in its fifth straight bowl victory after Moss broke free early on a drizzly and chilly day in the Cotton Bowl Stadium.
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 in advance of the NFL draft.
DUKE 36 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 14
Daniel Jones threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Blue Devils beat the Huskies in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.
Jones finished with 338 yards of offense, while Shaun Wilson and Brittain Brown added touchdowns for Duke (7-6), which won its final three games.
“We knew Northern Illinois had a lot of success rushing the passer this year, but our offensive line really controlled things,” Jones said. “That really opened things up.”
Marcus Childers threw for 234 yards and a score for Northern Illinois (8-5).