Utes Score 28 Unanswered Points to Upset Sun Devils

As a long-time Ute fan, I’ve seen a lot of games where Utah hasn’t been able to overcome a deficit. Take earlier this season, for example, when Utah trailed BYU 16-7 going into the half, and I went into the half with a sinking feeling in my stomach. I know that feeling well.

What that feeling really boils down to is a lack of confidence in the Ute offense. It’s a feeling that the other team is rolling and our offense has stalled, and that there’s no way it can come from behind.

I didn’t have that feeling last night, not even as I watched the Utes go down 21-7 at the half.

Scoring in Bunches

The Utah offense, which looked dead in the water during the first half, exploded during the third quarter. RB Tavion Thomas capped off a 9-play, 75-yard drive with a touchdown, the Utes’ first of four in the second half.

QB Cameron Rising, who has been playing out of his mind as the starting quarterback, put the ball right where TE Brant Kuithe needed it to snag a 20-yard touchdown pass to tie the game.

The fourth quarter was no different. The Utes marched down the field to start, and Rising completed another touchdown pass to Kuithe, this time for just seven yards. The Utes got the ball back after a Sun Devil punt and went right to work, taking their time on a 12-play drive finished by the legs of RB T.J. Pledger for the final score of the game.

A Reinvented Offense 

Now, I don’t like to toot my own horn, but I said in my preview that if I were Coach Kyle Whittingham, I’d dial up an aggressive passing attack. I’d use play-action and bootlegs to gain some separation from the ASU secondary. Well, lo and behold, the second half featured quite a bit of both of those play types.

What I didn’t expect, however, was how well the passing attack softened up the rushing defense of the Sun Devils. The Utes were able to rush for 208 yards and three touchdowns on a team that had previously allowed 115 yards a game.

Defensive Adjustments 

The defense, during the first half, at least, struggled mightily containing ASU QB Jayden Daniels. Daniels was able to produce 186 total yards and three touchdowns in the first half, appearing to be way too athletic for Ute defenders to bring down when running, and too accurate for the secondary to handle.

That being said, the Utes clearly made some adjustments during the second half. Daniels only produced 86 total yards in the second half, and not a single score. The Utes appeared to be able to stuff the run game on early downs, and ASU Coach Herm Edwards seemed unable to dial up anything that surprised the Ute defense.

The Utes were even able to get their hands on a field-goal attempt in the third quarter that ended up being the closest the Sun Devils would come to scoring for the rest of the game.

The Crystal Ball

If you read my preview, you might’ve noticed that I consulted a crystal ball for some outcomes in the game. Let’s see how the ball did calling this game, shall we?

• ASU commits two turnovers: Incorrect. The Sun Devils only committed one turnover, a fumble by receiver Curtis Hodges. Maybe the crystal ball was counting the blocked field goal, but we aren’t.
• Cam Rising throws for 270 yards and three touchdowns: Incorrect. Rising threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns, but the crystal ball was pretty close. Rising rushed for more yards than I would’ve believed, 59, and ran for another touchdown.
• ASU racks up 100+ penalty yards: Correct. The Sun Devils committed 13 penalties for a total of 115 yards, some of which extended Utah scoring drives. Crystal ball called this one on the money.
• Both teams will score five times: Incorrect. I guess the crystal ball thought it would be more of a shootout than it was, though to the credit of the crystal ball, Utah did score five times.
• Utes win, aided by cold weather and rowdy crowd: Correct. The MUSS came up huge, and you could visibly see how frustrated Jayden Daniels was with the crowd noise. While it didn’t snow, it was under 40 degrees for most of the game.

So the crystal ball goes 2-3, not bad, all things considered. You’ll have to see how the ball does next week, when the Utes face off against the Oregon State Beavers.