BRIEFS

Parcells inks

deal with Dolphins

A week ago, Wayne Huizenga seemed poised to sell his beloved Miami Dolphins and abandon his long quest for a Super Bowl title.

Scratch those plans.

Huizenga brought in Bill Parcells instead, giving him the task of restoring Miami's lost luster.

Miami signed Parcells to a fouryear contract Thursday as executive vice president of football operations, a fancy title meaning he'll oversee ''anything that has to do with football, directly or indirectly,'' said Huizenga, the Dolphins' owner.

Simply put: Parcells is in charge.

''He's got the ultimate responsibility,'' Huizenga said.

The two-time Super Bowl champion coach will report directly to Huizenga, whose affinity for bigname help now has led him to a 66- year-old former coach of four NFLclubs who owns a home in South Florida and now has a job there, too.

''I'm honored to join such an illustrious franchise as the Miami Dolphins and to work for one of the best owners in the league in Wayne Huizenga,'' Parcells said. ''He shares my same commitment to winning, and I told him I would do everything I can to help turn around the team's fortunes.''

Utah tops

Navy, 35-32

Invite the Utah Utes to a bowl game and the odds are pretty good they're going to win.

Brian Johnson threw for one touchdown and ran for another, and Utah opened the bowl season with a wild 35-32 victory over the Navy Midshipmen in the Poinsettia Bowl on Thursday night.

It was Utah's seventh straight bowl victory dating to 1999.

''Seven straight bowl wins, not a lot of people can say that,'' Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. ''I tell you what, our seniors are 5-0. Fifthyear seniors, five bowl games, five rings. Unbelievable, the legacy they left behind.''

Boston College has won seven straight bowl games going into its matchup against Michigan State in the Champs Sports Bowl next Friday.

Running back Darrell Mack, who grew up in the San Diego area, scored the first and last touchdowns for Utah (9-4), which won for the eighth time in nine games.

Vitale to miss

month after surgery

Dick Vitale, the voice of college basketball for almost three decades, had vocal cord surgery Tuesday and is expected to be off the air until at least February.

The 68-year-old Vitale said on his Web site that he'll still give his take on college basketball through postings on ESPN.com and dickvitaleonline. com while he recuperates. He expects to return to the air in early February.

The surgery to treat ulcers on his left vocal cord was performed by Dr. Steven Zeitels at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Steelers beat

Cardinals

Willie Parker's season ended after his first carry, and the Pittsburgh Steelers will miss the NFL's leading rusher if they get to the playoffs. But they don't miss him yet.

Najeh Davenport, a career backup running back with typical nondescript statistics, has two huge games since entering the league as a fourthround draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2002. Both have come against the St. Louis Rams, with Davenport's two-touchdown, 123- yard rushing effort pacing a 41-24 victory on Thursday night.

''I took it upon myself to put the offense on my back and carry it,'' Davenport said. ''He's our guy, he's our breadwinner. Not having him, everyone has to pick it up a level.''

Parker broke a bone in his lower right leg in the first quarter, giving the Steelers plenty of time to adjust to the new reality.