The No. 13 Utes answered after losing their first game of the season last week, beating Oregon State 27-12 Saturday night. “Bottom line is we are 7-1 and head to Seattle next week with sole possession of the Pac-12 south”, said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham.
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“Were you guys impressed?” “His overall poise was pretty impressive to me”, Andersen said.
On paper, the Utes should dominate – which is why they are now favored by more than 24 points.
The Utes started the game off strong with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by a one-yard Booker touchdown run. Utah then received the ball deep in its own territory and again, Booker found a few gaps to advance the ball.
Oregon State kicked a pair of second-quarter field goals after two drives that lasted over five minutes in the second quarter, cutting Utah’s lead to 14-6. They got after Wilson and they logged six tackles for loss. The drive lasted 6:52 and made the Beavers look woefully unprepared. “We just have to play like we did in that second half for every single down”.
This was not enough to get the Utes in the end zone. However, Andy Phillips nailed a 49-yard field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter to go up 17-6. If Collins can’t go, Mitchell, who completed 9-of-24 passes for 122 yards and an interception against Colorado, would get the start.
Mitchell said the Beavers’ performance will provide confidence moving forward.
While the Utes rebounded with a win, Wilson rebounded too.
But it was Utah’s steady attack, that rose to as high as 3rd in the country this season, that held OSU to a just a couple of field goals and a late touchdown. Reginald Porter had four pass breakups, which is tied for the most all-time in a game and the most a player has had in a game since 2007.
Redshirt freshman receiver Datrin Guyton complemented Bolden with four catches for 55 yards and sophomore Jordan Villamin added three catches for 94 yards, including a 74-yard catch-and-run that set up OSU’s only touchdown. The Beavers settled for a 23-yard Owens field goal to close the gap to 14-3 with 8:11 to play in the second quarter. The Beavers allowed the Utes to accumulate just 32 yards on offense and it opened the door for a rally.
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“It felt good to be back with my brothers”, Norris said. “Thankful I got to play”. But to make any noise this season they’ll have to improve their shooting after averaging just 60.9 points per game last season, last in the league. Whittingham credits his offense for not giving the ball away.
