Utah defense sparks Vegas Bowl victory

LAS VEGAS -- With a methodical rushing attack and an overwhelming defensive effort, Utah won the Las Vegas Bowl exactly the way Ron McBride always hoped his team would play this season.

Adam Tate rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown, and Utah's defense limited USC to 1 yard rushing as the Utes cleaned up in Las Vegas for the second time in three years, beating the Trojans 10-6 Tuesday.

McBride, soaked from a Gatorade dousing, led the cheers and the school fight song after the Utes controlled the ball over the final 5:43 with a poise they didn't show while blowing fourth-quarter leads over Brigham Young and Air Force in their final two regular-season games.

"We were under a lot of criticism for the Air Force and BYU games, but adversity is what I like," McBride said. "I was determined that we were going to come down here and win this game. We needed this. We played with the ultimate determination today."

The Utes (8-4) won with their defense, which embarrassed USC's strong offense. The Trojans (6-6), who had their four-game winning streak snapped, finished with 151 total yards.

After scoring its only touchdown on the first possession of the second half, USC didn't get across the Utah 40 for the rest of the day as linebacker Sheldon Deckart and the Utes' defense, missing two starters, still dominated.

"We let them come right at us, and we stopped them," Deckart said. "It was a big part of our game plan to make big plays, and then keep making big plays."

The Trojans didn't manage to accumulate positive rushing yardage until midway through the fourth quarter. Carson Palmer, who was 15-of-26 for 150 yards, missed open receivers and saw other passes dropped.

Despite going scoreless in the second half, Utah converted two long third downs in the final 3:30 to run out the clock.

On third-and-14 from the Utes' 9 with 3:30 left, quarterback Lance Rice hit Michael Richardson for a 20-yard reception. Facing third-and-4 a minute later, Tate bounced off several defenders for a 16-yard run that essentially sealed it.

When Tate surged for yet another first down with 1:30 left, the Utes began to celebrate Utah's third bowl victory in six trips during his 12 years in charge.

Tate and Dameon Hunter, who rushed for 94 yards to win Utah's MVP award, were two of the first players to hug McBride after the final snap.

Utah scored its only touchdown on its second possession. Tate, the bigger back in the Utes' massive tailback tandem, bulled in on a 3-yard run.

BLUE 28, GRAY 10

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- With no bowl this year for Penn State, the Nittany Lions settled for a strong showing in the Blue-Gray All-Star Classic.

Penn State running backs Eddie Drummond and Omar Easy both had short touchdown runs, lifting the Blue in the Blue-Gray All-Star Classic.

It was a long day for the offenses, with the Gray squad committing five turnovers and none of the quarterbacks reaching 100 yards passing.

After Penn State's runners put the Blue in charge, Algie Atkinson of Kansas returned a fumbled punt 11 yards for a touchdown with 4:10 remaining to seal the game.

The MVPs were Northwestern linebacker Kevin Bentley for the Blue and Mississippi State defensive back Shawn Byrdsong for the Gray.

Of the four quarterbacks, only Alabama State's Darnell Kennedy (99 yards) and Virginia's John Welsh (91) approached 100 yards.

Easy gained 49 yards on 12 carries and had a 2-yard score in the first quarter to earn offensive MVP honors for the Blue. Drummond added a 3-yard score late in the third quarter.

-- From wire reports