Utah: 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl Champions

DALLAS -- Zack Moss took a third-down handoff and burst through the line into an opening in the middle of the field. Utah was off and running to another bowl victory.

Moss ran for 150 yards, including a career-long 58-yard run for a touchdown on the Utes' opening drive in the Heart of Dallas Bowl as they went on to a 30-14 win over West Virginia on Tuesday. 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 sophomore quarterback Tyler Huntley said.

Huntley scored twice on 2-yard keepers , but the Utes led for good in their fifth straight bowl victory after Moss broke free early on a drizzly and chilly day in Cotton Bowl Stadium.

"It was very important for us to come out of the gates with a big play early on and set the tone," said Moss, who like Huntley still has two seasons left with the Utes (7-6).

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.

"It was a pretty disappointing loss to end a pretty disappointing season," Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen said. "You never hear me use it as an excuse. If you lose guys, you need guys to step in and play at a high level and that is the bottom line."

Whittingham's 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 his defensive coordinator had been promoted to head coach.

Under Whittingham, the Utes prepare for bowl games like regular season games, often in full pads and with continuing conditioning work. There is also a little bit of peer pressure.

"We've got a group of guys and have had several groups of guys come here that take a lot of pride in their bowl performance and the bowl record that we have," Whittingham said. "This group was no different. Each subsequent group doesn't want to be the group that lets the previous groups down. They want to keep that bowl prowess alive."

THE TAKEAWAY

Utah: 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 on the fourth-and-3 play before scoring on another short run.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers missed Grier, who broke the middle finger on his throwing hand early in a loss against Texas. Grier, whose 34 TD passes were the second most in a season for West Virginia, already has said he will return next year for his senior season.

SABAN'S TIEBREAKER?

Saban has a chance, maybe two, to add a bowl win this season. The Crimson Tide will play Clemson in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day in the College Football Playoff. Two other active coaches can get their 11th bowl wins before then: Miami's Mark Richt and Meyer, who is now at Ohio State.

ONE SHORT OF 1,000


KaRaun White's 18-yard TD catch with 2 minutes left for West Virginia put him over 1,000 yards receiving this season, along with teammate Gary Jennings. But David Sills V, who had 18 TD catches, had no catches Tuesday and finished 20 yards shy of giving the Mountaineers three 1,000-yard receivers.

UP NEXT

Utah: The junior seasons for Huntley and Moss begin at home on Aug. 30 against Weber State. For the start of what will be Whittingham's 14th full season, the Utes could have back 14 of their starters from the bowl game (eight on offense, six on defense).

West Virginia: Grier can be back in the lineup for the 2018 season opener Sept. 1 against Tennessee in Charlotte. It will be the third time in five years the Mountaineers will open a season against another Power Five opponent in an NFL stadium.

Army West Point: 2016 Heart Of Dallas Bowl Champions

DALLAS -- For Army coach Jeff Monken, there was never really a second thought about what to do on fourth down from the 3 on the opening possession of overtime.

Not with the way the triple-option Black Knights dominate running the ball and struggle kicking it.

Jordan Asberry took a toss and scored Army's sixth rushing touchdown in a 38-31 win over North Texas on Tuesday in a rematch at the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

"One of our goals is not flinch and believe no matter what," said quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw, who ran for 129 yards and a score. "A lot of people say it's a questionable call. ... We were determined to get it in."

The Black Knights (8-5) finished with 480 yards rushing, including 119 yards and two TDs by Darnell Woolfolk. Asberry's score was the 46th rushing touchdown this season, breaking the school record held by the 1945 national championship team that had two Heisman Trophy winners in the backfield.

North Texas (5-8) had its chance in overtime. But after Alec Morris scrambled for 4 yards and Jeffery Wilson lost 3, consecutive incomplete passes followed. The former Alabama graduate transfer threw for 304 yards and three TDs, but his desperation fourth-down throw on the run ended the game.

"We may not have accomplished our mission of winning our bowl game, but these men ... set a solid foundation of brotherhood," first-year coach Seth Littrell said.

North Texas, which lost five of its last six games after winning 35-18 at Army on Oct. 22, was in the bowl based on its Academic Progress Rate.

Army's 1945 team had 45 rushing touchdowns while going 9-0. Doc Blanchard scored 16 of them and won the Heisman that season. Glenn Davis had 15 a year before winning his Heisman Trophy.

The Black Knights have a three-game winning streak, including their first win over Navy since 2001.

"We're a work in a progress. I hope we always will be and be improving," Monken said. "Proud of our guys and how we finished this season."

TAKEAWAY

North Texas showed some positive signs under Littrell despite the tough finish. The Mean Green won only one game in 2015. Wilson, whose 160 yards in October were the most this season against Army, had a 22-yard TD run on the Mean Green's opening drive Tuesday. He finished with 81 yards on 20 carries, and also turned a screen pass into another 22-yard touchdown.

Army: The Black Knights finished with their most wins since going 10-2 in 1996. In the loss to North Texas two months ago, they had seven turnovers (three lost fumbles, four interceptions). They had only one this time, a muffed punt return that immediately led to a North Texas touchdown at the end of the third quarter.

NO CONVERSIONS

Woolfolk had a 5-yard TD on the game's opening possession, a vintage Army drive with six different players carrying on 11 rushing plays, but missed the extra point. North Texas led only after a TD and PAT on its opening drive, but Army then had TD runs on each of its next three drives and led 24-7 after missing 2-point conversions each time.

SEE YOU AGAIN SOON

Army will be in North Texas next Nov. 18 to play the Mean Green again. The Black Knights also have a conditional agreement already to play in next year's Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth if they are bowl eligible.

EXTRA POINTS


Tyler Campbell's 70-yard TD run in the first quarter was Army's longest running play this season. ... Bradshaw's 65-yard keeper for a score in the third quarter was his career-long run. ... Army LB Jeremy Timpf had 15 tackles (12 solo), and CB Elijah Riley had two interceptions.

UP NEXT

North Texas: QB Mason Fine, who started nine games as a freshman before a shoulder injury late in the season, should be back with Wilson when the Mean Green host Lamar in their 2017 opener on Sept. 2.

Army: is set to return Bradshaw along with Woolfolk and several other runners, and four starting linemen, for its triple-option offense. The Black Knights open the 2017 season against Fordham on Sept. 1.

Washington Huskies: 2015 Heart of Dallas Bowl Champions

Washington entered Saturday as probably the nation's best 6-6 team. It left with a winning record, after beating Southern Miss 44-31 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

The Huskies jumped out to a 21-10 lead thanks to three rushing touchdowns in the first half, including two from Myles Gaskin. But Southern Mississippi was able to keep it close thanks to big plays. A 56-yard touchdown pass from Nick Mullens to Michael Thomas was the Eagles' first score of the game, and a second quarter fake punt led to a TD to make it 21-17.

Southern Miss tied it up in the third quarter on a seven-play, 57-yard drive, but Washington answered instantly with an 86-yard touchdown run from Gaskin.

A horrible Southern Miss punt out of its own end zone led to a Huskies field goal, making it a two-score game, and Gaskin's fourth touchdown of the day sealed it.

This was a reminder of how good Washington actually was this year.

By S&P+, Washington was the No. 20 team in the country this year. Between a loaded schedule (six top-50 opponents), youth in nearly every unit and inconsistent play from the offense, the Huskies were unable to turn that into as many wins as it probably deserved. But Washington lost three All-Americans on defense and still had one of the better units in the Pac-12.

One of its biggest problems was in the passing game, where true freshman Jake Browning suffered some ups and downs in his first season. He did a fine job in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, completing 23 of 34 passes for 284 yards, without any interceptions. Browning helped lead the way for Gaskin, who finished with 26 carries for 181 yards and four touchdowns -- all Heart of Dallas Bowl records. It was the first time a Washington back ran for at least four touchdowns since Corey Dillion in 1996, per ESPN.

Now the Huskies get a winning record to show for their good season. And that wouldn't have happened if the grouches got their way and eliminated 6-6 teams from bowl contention. Bowl season is great.

Southern Miss's turnaround rivals any in the country.

Three years ago, Southern Miss went 0-12, one season after winning 12 games. The Golden Eagles fired first-year head coach Ellis Johnson, replacing him with Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Todd Monken. After four wins in his first two seasons, progress was evident but a long road back was still expected.

This year, the Golden Eagles won nine games, made a bowl game and went toe-to-toe against strong Pac-12 competition. That's more than double the victories of the previous three years combined. And while senior Michael Thomas (nine receptions, 190 yards, two touchdowns) leaves, junior quarterback Nick Mullens (25 of 37, 331 yards, two touchdowns) is scheduled to return. Well done, Southern Miss.

Louisiana Tech: 2014 Heart Of Dallas Bowl Champions

DALLAS -- Louisiana Tech's Houston Bates had a career day against his former team -- his 4 1/2 sacks in the Heart of Dallas Bowl matched the number he had in three seasons at Illinois.

Bates, who graduated and transferred to finish his eligibility closer to home, was chosen MVP of the game after the Bulldogs beat the Illini 35-18 on Friday.

"It wasn't Houston Bates vs. Illinois. It was Louisiana Tech vs. Illinois," Bates said.

Kenneth Dixon scored one of his two touchdowns on an 80-yard reception and Xavier Woods scored on a 69-yard interception. The Bulldogs (9-5) also got touchdown runs of 16 yards from Jarred Craftand 28 yards from Blake Martin on a dark, overcast day at the Cotton Bowl stadium.

Illinois (6-7) struggled early with penalties and missed field goals, but got within three points onDavid Reisner's 43-yard field goal early in the fourth quarters. But Dixon scored his second TD from one yard out with six minutes left to make it 28-18 and the Illini couldn't answer.

Illinois appeared to have gotten a break when LaKeith Walls sacked Cody Sokol, causing him to fumble. Jihad Ward returned it 19 yards before Dixon forced a fumble and Sokol recovered. That drive was capped by Dixon's TD.

"The way the guys played, Kenneth and Cody and throughout the whole season, it's truly outstanding," Bates said. "It's something I'm going to live for the rest of my life. And if I die tomorrow, my life would be complete."

Tech coach Skip Holtz then asked Bates to skip the humble answer and say what it really meant to him to win.

"Unbelievable," Bates added with a huge smile.

"I know it's been an emotional week for him," Holtz said, "and I know it's been an emotional week to see him go out and do the things that he did."

Bates had an additional sack in the closing minutes negated when a teammate couldn't get off the field in time and the Bulldogs were penalized for having 12 players on the field.

Dixon became Louisiana Tech's career leader in yards rushing, finishing with 63 for a total of 3,410 in three seasons.

He is also the only FBS player with both a run and a reception of at least 80 yards this season.

Louisiana Tech went into the game tied for first place among FBS schools with 25 interceptions and first with 40 total turnovers forced. With Monday's two Illini turnovers, Tech converted turnovers into 198 points this season.

"I was just not giving up on the play," Dixon said. "I mean, he got the ball. He was running. I got behind him and just tried to do my best to get the ball back."

"I saw Kenneth coming and, what went through my head?" Holtz said. "`Get `im, Kenneth! Get `im! Get `im! Get `im!' And he got there. Great strip on the ball."

"That's the game of football to me," Illinois coach Tim Beckman said of the turnovers. "I think they've been very opportunistic in what they've done this year. We need to become that better, our defense. No question those were big, huge plays."

Tech led 21-9 lead at halftime after Reilly O'Toole's pass was returned for a touchdown by Woods midway through the second, but Illinois responded with a 3-yard scoring run by Donovonn Young. The 2-point conversion failed, though, but Reisner banked in a field goal to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 3.

O'Toole threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jon Davis early in the second quarter. He was 24 of 39 for a season-high 295 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Taylor Zalewski kicked a 27-yard FG in the first quarter for Illinois, which committed eight first-half penalties for 53 yards and missed two field goals attempts and an extra point.

Sokol, who began his collegiate career in the Big Ten at Iowa, completed 14 of 28 passes for 247 yards and one touchdown.

On Woods' interception, the pass was thrown ahead of Dudek, whose uniform appeared to be held by Tech's Bryson Abraham just before Woods made the grab.

"Reilly threw the ball where I was supposed to be," Dudek said. "Which I probably would have been had I not been held, but the ref didn't call it."

North Texas: 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl Champions

DALLAS (AP) — Derek Thompson threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns, Brelan Chancellor scored twice and North Texas dominated the second half Wednesday to beat UNLV 36-14 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

This was the Mean Green's first postseason appearance in nine years.

This was the Mean Green's first postseason appearance since a 2004 New Orleans Bowl loss to Southern Miss and its first bowl victory since New Orleans in 2002. The Rebels lost for the first time in four bowl games.

UNLV (7-6) drove 95 yards for a touchdown on its opening possession but didn't score again until the Mean Green (9-4) were up 28-7 in the fourth quarter.

With the score 7-7 at halftime, the Mean Green went ahead for good at 14-7 in the third quarter on Thompson's 7-yard scoring pass to Drew Miller — the fourth third-down conversion on the drive.

Chancellor kept the possession alive by slipping past UNLV's Peni Vea along the sideline and staying inbounds for a 17-yard catch on third-and-16. That was one play after North Texas was backed up by a late-hit penalty on guard Mason Y'Barbo.

Tim Cornett, UNLV's career rushing leader, was held to 33 yards — 71 below his average and the same total as quarterback Caleb Herring, who threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

Chancellor, who had 74 yards receiving and 47 rushing, scored on runs of 3 and 15 yards. The Mean Green sacked Herring five times.

Darnell Smith had a 34-yard catch to put North Texas up 28-7 before Herring's 13-yard scoring pass to Jerry Rice Jr., the first career touchdown for the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in his final college game.

North Texas came in with one of the nation's top scoring defenses and forced seven straight scoreless UNLV possessions. The Rebels punted on their first three possessions of the second half, and the Mean Green scored each time.

UNLV missed a chance to take control in the first quarter when Keith Whitely muffed a punt to keep the Rebels from getting the ball back after a 95-yard drive highlighted by Herring's 29-yard pass to Devante Davis and punctuated with a 9-yard scoring toss to Marcus Sullivan.

Zed Evans recovered Whitely's muffed punt at the UNLV 42, and Antoinne Jimmerson scored from inside the 1 a play after his run from the 3 was ruled a touchdown before getting overturned on replay.

Davis had 10 catches for 96 yards for the Rebels.

North Texas' James Jones dropped what would have been an easy interception that he could have returned for a touchdown in the final minute of the first half. Coach Dan McCarney called timeout moments before the Mean Green blocked a field goal that Kenny Buyers would have easily taken about 50 yards for a score on the final play before halftime.

The Rebels were in position to try the 52-yard field goal at the end of the half after the Mean Green jumped offside with UNLV punting on fourth-and-5 with 24 seconds left. Nolan Kohorst's kick was well short.