The no. 23 University of Utah crushed the no. 3 Oregon Ducks playoff hopes on Saturday with a dominating performance from start to finish, hammering the Ducks 38-7.

The victory was important for the football program in many ways, as it will send Utah back to the Pac-12 Championship Game on December 3rd. It also gave Utah head Coach Kyle Whittingham his 142nd victory, the most for a football coach in Utah history.

"It was a great team win. The guys did an unreal job upfront,” said Rising. “They blocked their rear ends off. It was fun to be a part of."

"We talked about being physical all week and we really wanted to set the tone up front and I think they did that up there,” Rising continued. “That's why we were so successful.”

Utah did nothing fancy. They ran the ball, ran it again, and ran it again. They popped the Ducks in the mouth, and the Ducks didn’t know what hit them.

Rising completed 10-18 passes, five of those to Brant Kuithe for 118 yards. The passing was never really the focus for the Utes’ offense, it was only there to keep the Ducks on their toes.

"I'm extremely proud of our guys from start to finish,'' said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. “Excellent execution and physicality. They just weren't going to be denied tonight and it started with a great week of practice. They had the right mindset, and it was great to see them go out and play the way they did. Just a great game for us."

Utah dominated Oregon so thoroughly that the game felt like it was over when Rising walked into the end zone on a one-yard run with 5:08 to play in the first half. Little did the Ducks know, it was about to get a lot worse.

Oregon would then go down and miss a field goal—their second of the night. Utah then capitalized on a six play 77 yard drive capped off by a four yard touchdown run by Tavion Thomas. Thomas would also go on to break the single season touchdown record at Utah with three total on the night and 17 on the season.

The touchdown drive took only 1:35. Then, with 0:27 left on the first half clock after a quick three and out, the Ducks made a decision that emphatically sealed their 2021 College Football Playoff fate. Punter Tom Snee somehow chose to punt the ball to Utah’s All-Pac-12 punter returner, Britain Covey.

Whittingham was happy they did, but surprised to say the least.

"The alternative would be to kick out of bounds I guess,” said Whittingham. “But Covey is a dangerous guy and I know I'd think twice about kicking to him. We had a block on too. It wasn't like we had a return set up. We had a full-on block. He did most of that on his own. He got some key blocks along the way, but it was not set up as a return."

Covey fielded the punt near the Oregon sideline, cut to the Utes sideline and made a mad dash of 78 yards with gray jerseys surrounding him. The clock hit halftime and the score became even more insurmountable for the no. 3 team in the land. Utah had a commanding and a statement-making 28-0 lead.

"Those two touchdowns we scored at the end of the first half were really critical for us,” said Whittingham. “That gave us a ton of momentum going into halftime and it was a tough situation for them coming out of half down 28-0. I'd say that was really the biggest portion of the game."

The offensive game plan drawn up by Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig seemed simple, but it was brilliant. It was built to neutralize Kayvon Thibodeaux, one of the best players in college football, and it did just that. The Utes attacked him by often chipping him with one blocker, before the main blocker engaged with him. It was a plan that saw Utah run for 208 yards and four touchdowns on 50 attempts, against a solid defensive front.

"That's a talented group they have over there,” said Whittingham. “That's a good football team, but we did a nice job of running the football. The offensive line was outstanding. No turnovers again for us. That's been a huge part of our success in recent weeks is taking care of the football."

While the offense provided the fireworks, the Utes defense was locked in and rough as nails, limiting Oregon to 294 total yards.

"They did an outstanding job. Oregon only got 63 yards rushing. They came in here averaging about 231 per week,” said Whittingham. “That was the primary objective of this game was to stop the run, and we felt if we did that we had a good chance for a good outcome."

Junior captain Devin Lloyd echoed the importance of stopping Oregon’s run game.

“We are both teams who pride ourselves on running the ball and being physical at the line of scrimmage, so it was a battle of the trenches,” said Lloyd. “We emphasized that all week and we kind of preached that whoever wins the trenches was most likely going to win the game."

With the win, Utah won the Pac-12 South for the third time in the last four years—and back-to-back-to-back for the last three full 12 game seasons.

"So proud of our guys. We were sitting there 1-2 after our three non-conference games and kind of wondering who we were,” said Whittingham. “We had figured out Cam had provided a spark because even though we lost that third game, he gave us an instant energy. Between what Cam has done, how he has progressed and the offensive line play, that's really been the biggest keys to turning this thing around."

Before the Utes head to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Championship Game, they’ll host the Colorado Buffaloes at home next weekend on Senior Day. The Ducks suddenly find themselves in a must-win situation and the new realization that the playoffs are no longer an option for them.

While Utah beat Oregon convincingly on Saturday, they expect the Ducks to come out ready if they do indeed play them again in two weeks.

"I think that we probably angered them,” said Covey. “I don't know what else, I think that if we see them in a couple weeks, we know we'll be seeing a different team, on a different playing field without the crowd. But they're a team that just wants vengeance. We're going to be prepared when that time comes."

If that rematch were to come, the Utes game plan would be no secret. On Saturday, they thoroughly dominated by playing their physical brand of football. It’s that brand of football that could deliver them their first Pac-12 Championship and a ticket to the Rose Bowl.