The No. 12 Utah Utes went into Stillwater, Oklahoma on Saturday for their first ever Big 12 game. What was supposed to be a highly-anticipated matchup between two veteran quarterbacks, turned into a showcase of Utah’s future, and also a reminder that the Utes are the unquestioned team to beat for the 2024 Big 12 title.
The Utes beat the No. 14 Oklahoma State Cowboys 22-19, a score that isn’t indicative of just how bad the Utes bullied the Cowboys.
Lets take a look at the takeaways from the victory:
Wilson comes up clutch again
Utah’s 18 year-old true freshman started the week with the expectation that he would be back to backing up Cam Rising. Then suddenly early in the week it wasn’t a sure thing, as Rising was occasionally having issues gripping the ball.
From there, Wilson was more and more integrated into a potential game plan, but the talented freshman still didn’t know he was starting until Rising tested the grip through warmups and the staff decided Wilson was the safer choice in a hostile environment.
The results weren’t perfect, just like would be expected in this situation, but Wilson commanded the offense and hit timely big plays. He finished the day 17-29 for 207 yards, a touchdown pass and two interceptions. Wilson also showed off his wheels on a 3rd and 10 scramble that went for 48 yards.
In the process, Wilson became the first true freshman quarterback at Utah to win against a Top 15 team on the road. During the postgame, Wilson was excited and humble, deflecting praise like leaders do. It was an encouraging performance for the future, as well as the present until the staff is comfortable unleashing Rising, again.
Make no mistake though, as intriguing as Wilson is becoming, there’s no quarterback battle. The offensive playbook is endless with Rising, who can adjust with ease on the fly. Plus, the reality is, Utah still left a lot of potential points on the board against the Cowboys.
Wilson can lead Utah to a Big 12 championship. Rising can give Utah a true shot at winning a national title. That's not a bad situation to have.
Bernard outperforms the Doak Walker winner
On a day where no other Utah running backs had success against Oklahoma State (20 carries for 27 yards), Micah Bernard was the exception. The senior playmaker proved once again why he’s the Utes’ lead back and such a special talent. Bernard dazzled with 25 carries for 182 yards.
What’s more impressive is who he outperformed in the process. Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon Jr., the reigning Doak Walker Award winner, could never get things going. Bernard consistently made his way through the Oklahoma State defensive line with ease, racking up 7.3 yards per carry. Take away his play of the game, a jaw-dropping 62 yard run, and Bernard still would have averaged 5 yards per carry. Gordon, meanwhile, had a long of 18 and averaged 3.8 yards per carry on 11 attempts for 32 yards.
While Gordon looks like a shell of himself, Bernard has become one of the best and most dangerous running backs in college football. He has back to back-to-back 100 yard games under his belt and 456 yards in four games.
Of course there was a big reason why Gordon was held in check, and it was a group effort that it’s time to talk about in the next takeaway.
Time of possession won the game
The mad scientist seems to always find a way. Faced with the reality of no Cam Rising in a crucial conference showdown, Utah Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig pivoted to relying on his bell cow at running back (Bernard) and trusting his true freshman quarterback to manage the clock. The plan worked out brilliantly.
Despite Utah losing the turnover battle 3 to 2, Oklahoma State couldn’t sustain any drives thanks to a suffocating Utah defense that we’ll go more in-depth in in a minute. The Utes ran 80 plays to Oklahoma State’s 59. Despite the game being close for the majority of the contest, the Cowboys chose to go to the air instead looking to get Gordon in a groove on the group — something that was still likely a wise decision, as we highlight key defenders in the next takeaway.
Utah’s defense is special
The final score of 22-19 is deceiving. This game was a complete and utter masterclass by Utah Defensive Coordinator Morgan Scalley and his defense until the Cowboys got some momentum with just under six minutes remaining in the game.
Their performance saw a talented quarterback — who had solid numbers coming into the game — get benched at halftime. Alan Bowman would then come back into the game in the fourth quarter after his replacement, Garret Rangel was in over his head. They also, as already mentioned, suffocated Gordon, who is supposed to be the best running back in college football.
The Oklahoma State quarterbacks combined for 19-44 passing and 237 yards. A good amount of that came in the final six minutes of the game, as that’s when they connected on their two touchdown passes. Bowman was also responsible for two interceptions by Scooby Davis and Alaka’i Gilman.
Safety Tao Johnson led the way in tackles with 6 total and 4 solo. Defensive end Van Fillinger remains the NCAA sack leader, getting another one on the day to raise his total to 5.5 on the early season. While the stats may not show it, it was a big day for defensive tackle Junior Tafuna, as he clogged the middle making things difficult for Gordon. Tafuna had one of the more impressive plays on the day, showing his agility and tripping up Gordon at the line of scrimmage when Gordon initially got around him.
The defense was dominant despite being without Connor O’Toole and captain Karen me Reid.
Up next
The Utes return home to face the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, September 8th at 8:15 PM. Whittingham is making it clear that the Utes are kicking their chops to avenge the 42-18 blowout loss from last year. Jedd Fisch’s staff may be gone, but plenty of players remain from a team that ran up the score against a severely depleted Utah squad.
The 2-1 Wildcats will have the advantage of going into the game after a BYE.
