Utes say good-bye to defensive standout

Utah won, beating Tulsa, which finished a once-promising season with its fourth loss in five games.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Fittingly, the ball was in Utah defensive standout Eric Weddle's hands when the Armed Forces Bowl ended.
Weddle had an interception on the final play Saturday night, only a minute after scoring on a 4-yard run, to cap the Utes' 25-13 victory over Tulsa. Utah has won six straight bowl games, matching the longest active streak.
"Having him end his career with that pick, you couldn't have scripted it any better," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.
It was Weddle's final start at Utah, where in a 48-game career he was a two-time Mountain West Conference defensive player of the year who also got plenty of snaps at quarterback and running back while also holding and returning kicks.
Ute promise
"I'm going to cherish everything I've gained here," Weddle said. "I'm going to be a Ute forever."
The Utes (8-5) have won all of their bowl games since 1999, including two years ago when they were the first non-BCS team to play in the Bowl Championship Series and beat Pittsburgh 35-7 in the Fiesta Bowl to cap an undefeated season.
Weddle was the holder on all four field goals by Louis Sakoda -- who was actually selected the game's MVP. Weddle also ran 10 times for 56 yards, including two runs to set up the other Utah touchdown, recovered a fumble and had six tackles.
"We are losing some guys that have just been instrumental in our success, starting with this guy," Whittingham said, as Weddle sat to his right still in his grass-stained uniform.
Brett Ratliff was 23-of-34 passing for 240 yards and was credited with a 10-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, though it was actually a designed catch-and-pitch similar to a score the Utes had in their Fiesta Bowl romp. Brian Hernandez caught the ball near the line of scrimmage and pitched to Brent Casteel, who ran around the left end and leaped into the end zone.
Paul Smith scored on a pair of 1-yard keepers for Tulsa (8-5), which finished a once-promising season with its fourth loss in five games.
Out of reach
Sakoda kicked a 41-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to give Utah a 9-7 lead. The Utes put the game out of reach by scoring on their first two possessions after halftime, the second when they started at their own 1 after a punt.
"Those were big momentum points. They scored 13 unanswered points," Tulsa coach Steve Kragthorpe said. "We would have liked to get off the field with a 7-6 halftime lead. We had chances to get some turnovers. The guy threw it to us five times. If we had gotten those turnovers, that might have changed the game."
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