After falling in its highly anticipated season opener, No. 13 Utah was looking to pick up its first win of the season against FCS Southern Utah.
The Utes got on the board first, thanks to a Tavion Thomas 13-yard scoring run with just over 10 minutes remaining in the opening quarter for the 7-0 lead. It was Thomas’ 11th straight game with a rushing touchdown.
SUU fought back to tie the score at 7-7, and the score remained the same as the first quarter ended. After a mostly slow, unimpressive opening period, Utah showed why it is the reigning Pac-12 champion in the second quarter.
The Utes scored 38 unanswered points, first with a 7-yard Tavion Thomas touchdown run. Utah then added a 12-yard Chris Curry running score, a 26-yard field goal, and a two-yard score from Cameron Rising to Brant Kuithe for a 31-7 advantage.
Rising then found Dalton Kincaid for a 37-yard touchdown pass at the 1:08 mark before tossing a six-yard score to Kincaid again with 12 seconds left for a 45-7 halftime lead.
Well that was a fun quarter. 😁 pic.twitter.com/31oz33g01x
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) September 10, 2022
Second half
The Utes began the second half getting some scoring from its defense. RJ Hubert picked off an SUU pass and returned it for a 39-yard pick-six just under a minute into quarter three.
Third quarter gonna be a fun one too, huh? 🤩
📺 Pac-12 Network
📱 https://t.co/VhjMOIK573#Pac12FB | @Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/FznOPOAViu— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) September 10, 2022
Jaylon Glover added a 4-yard score on the ground halfway through the frame to put Utah ahead 59-7.
The Utes added a pair of touchdowns in the final quarter, with Thomas Yassmin catching a 29-yard score from Bryson Barnes and Jaylon Glover adding his second rushing touchdown of the game to cap a 73-7 rout.
Game notes
The victory was Utah’s 28th consecutive non-conference home win, currently tied for the second-longest streak in the country along with Pac-12 rival Oregon and behind only Alabama (40).
The Utes also scored 73 points in the win over SUU, the fourth most in a game against another NCAA opponent in program history. If you’re wondering, the record was set by the 1911 Utes, who scored 97 points versus Montana State.
Up next
No. 13 Utah (1-1) now faces former WAC and Mountain West foe San Diego State at home. Last season, the Aztecs stunned the Utes in triple overtime on their way to a 12-win season. Utah looks to get revenge on SDSU on Saturday, Sep. 17, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. MT. The game can be seen on ESPN2.
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