Facing an Oregon State team that gave USC all they could handle last week, the Utes proved they were a Pac-12 frontrunner by handling the Beavers.

Week 4 Bowl Projections: Where will the Cougars, Utes, and Aggies go?

Looking for a fourth-straight win, Utah showed out for the Homecoming game to improve to 2-0 in Pac-12 play ahead of a massive game against 5-0 UCLA next week.

First half

The Utes took the lead early in the game, needing just under two minutes to score the opening touchdown. Jaylen Dixon hauled in a 19-yard pass from Cam Rising for the 7-0 advantage.

Oregon State responded with a touchdown of their own on the next drive, tying the score at 7-7.

The Utes went three-and-out on the next offensive drive, but it was the defense that would tally the next score. Just two plays into the Beavers’ drive, Clark Phillips III returned his second interception 38 yards for the 14-7 lead.

Utah added to the lead early in the second quarter, with Rising using his feet to run 24 yards for a score, increasing the lead to 21-7.

Oregon State added a pair of field goals on their next two drives – both from 26 yards – to make it a one-score game heading to halftime, 21-13.

Second half 

After Utah punted the ball away on their opening second-half drive, the Beavers added another field goal – this one from 31 yards – to make the score 21-16.

Feeling the pressure from the visitors, the Utes turned up the heat on offense.

On the next drive, Rising led the Utes on an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Utah made the score 28-16 at the 6:18 mark of the third quarter when Rising found Devaughn Vele for a 16-yard touchdown.

Needing a touchdown to stay in the game, Oregon State did the opposite on its next drive. On first and goal at the 8-yard line, Ben Gulbranson was picked off by R.J. Hubert, who returned it 70 yards to put the Utah offense in a great position.

Just two plays later, the Utes added a 22-yard rushing touchdown from Jaylen Dixon to increase the lead to 35-16 with under two minutes left in the third.

The Utes put the final touch on the scoreboard on the next drive of the fourth quarter. Rising threw his third touchdown of the game, finding Dalton Kincaid for a 4-yard score just over two minutes into the final frame for the 42-16 lead.

Utah sealed the game with a fourth interception of the Beavers on their next drive, the third for Clark Phillips III.

 

Game notes

Clark Phillips III shines

Clark Phillips III recorded three interceptions for the Utah defense, the first Ute with three picks in a game since Robert Johnson against Colorado State in 2009.

Cam Rising dazzles on offense

While he only tallied 199 passing yards, Utah quarterback Cam Rising was also a threat on the ground, gaining 73 yards on just seven carries (10.4 yards per carry).

Rising added a touchdown on the ground to the three he tallied through the air while completing 19-of-25 passes and recording zero turnovers.

Utes spread the love on offense

While Rising took part in four of the five touchdowns, the Utes used a multitude of players to move the ball against the Beavers.

Seven different Utah players recorded a carry, while eight different Utes hauled in a catch on the receiving end. DeVaughn Hale led Utah’s receivers with 94 yards and a score on 7 receptions.

Up next

Riding a four-game winning streak, Utah (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) travels to undefeated, 5-0 UCLA next week.

This will likely now be a Top 25 matchup since the Bruins upset 15th-ranked Washington to remain perfect.

The game will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 1:30 p.m. MT at the Rose Bowl. The matchup can be seen on FOX.

Utah State football: Aggies show fight, promise in loss to BYU

 

 

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Spencer Rodak
Spencer has always been passionate about sports, growing up playing and following various sports. He ran cross country in high school and began his journey in sports media in 2017 as a journalism intern at The Spectrum & Daily News. Since then, his work has been published in numerous outlets including Deseret News, Standard-Examiner, St. George News, Southern Utah Now, SUU's Thunderground, SB Nation's RSL Soapbox, FanSided's Venom Strikes, fan-insider.com, The Spurs Web, and Iron County Today. Spencer is the founder of Stadium Sportzz and both the Sportzz with Spencer and Mountain States Sports Report podcasts. His experience extends to public address announcing, having first served as the PA announcer for Southern Utah University soccer in 2017 and as a high school sports PA announcer. He is now entering his fourth year as a PA announcer at Utah Tech University, where he also occasionally takes on the role of in-game emcee. Spencer's versatility also extends to radio, where at The Fan Sports Network he produced high school and Utah Tech athletics broadcasts, hosted the weekly Region 9 Football Tailgate Show, and appeared daily on The Drive. Now working towards completing his Bachelor's degree in Media Studies, Spencer was recently named the Sports Director at Utah Tech University's 91.3 The Blaze for the 2024-25 year. He will host a weekly show and serve as a play-by-play broadcaster, continuing his dedication to sports journalism and broadcasting. When he isn’t talking, writing about, or watching sports, Spencer enjoys traveling and spending time with his amazing wife.

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