Pittsburgh grinds out bowl game victory
James Conner rushed for 229 yards - breaking a Pittsburgh bowl record held by Tony Dorsett - and Chris Blewitt kicked a tie-breaking field goal with 1:17 remaining, lifting the Panthers to a 30-27 victory over Bowling Green on Thursday night in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit.
Conner also played a handful of snaps on the defensive line, and fellow freshman Tyler Boyd gave Pitt (7-6) a boost with eight receptions for 173 yards. Boyd also scored on a punt return in the first half.
The 6-foot-2 Conner rushed for 165 yards in the second half, helping Pitt overcome the loss of quarterback Tom Savage, who didn’t play after halftime because of a rib injury. Conner and the Panthers drove 51 yards in seven plays late in the fourth quarter to set up a 39-yard kick by Blewitt. PAGE 4CUtah State corrals Northern Illinois QB
Brian Suite intercepted Jordan Lynch’s pass and recovered a fumble by the Heisman Trophy finalist as Utah State defeated No. 23 Northern Illinois 21-14 on Thursday night in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego.
Joey DeMartino carried 23 times for 143 yards and 1 touchdown for Utah State (9-5).
Lynch, who was third in the Heisman Trophy voting and made the All-America team as an all-purpose player, was held to just 39 yards rushing, which kept him from becoming the first major college player to rush for 2,000 yards and pass for 2,000 yards in the same season. PAGE 4CToday’s games MILITARY BOWL Marshall vs. Maryland, 1:30 p.m. TEXAS BOWL Syracuse vs. Houston, 5 p.m.
FIGHT HUNGER BOWL BYU vs. Washington, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday’s games PINSTRIPE BOWL Rutgers vs. Notre Dame, 11 a.m.
BELK BOWL Cincinnati vs. North Carolina, 2:20 p.m. RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL Miami vs. Louisville, 5:45 p.m.
BUFFALO WILD WINGS BOWL Michigan vs. Kansas State, 9:15 p.m.
Full bowl schedule, Page 4C.
Sports, Pages 17 on 12/27/2013