Takeaways: Utah at Washington
It wasn’t easy, but they did it. The University of Utah charged into Husky Stadium, took Washington’s best shot, and delivered a 33-28 statement victory,. They now have control of the Pac-12 South and are making noise for inclusion into the College Football Playoffs.
Here are the takeaways from the slugfest:
Great teams find ways to win and Utah is elite
This was a game where Utah had a lot going against them to start off. They were on the road, facing off against a team that they'd only beaten once in their history, and that team was well-rested after coming off a BYE week. On top of that, Tyler Huntley still wasn't 100 percent healthy, and the starting offensive line had experienced a shakeup due to Simi Moala being unable to practice through most of the week, due to an injury. All of those things combined for an ugly start for the Utes, as they fell behind 14-3.
However, how you start a game doesn't matter as much as how you finish it, and the Utes fought through setback after setback to come out on top. After finding themselves in a 14-3 hole, they clawed their way back and scored twice before halftime to make it 14-13. Then, when Washington came out firing on their opening drive, Utah's defense made a big play when it mattered most, picking off Jacob Eason in the red zone and ending the drive. Washington would go on to score on their next series to make it 21-13, but after that, the Huskies would not score again until the final minutes of the game.
This team has a maturity about it, the players and coaches don't panic, they don't get desperate, they simply believe that if they play their game and do their jobs, they'll come out on top, and that has been true in each of the last five games.
Big time players make big time plays in big time games
In a game like Saturday, when the pressure was high and the expectations were even higher is when star players come out to play. Utah was able to rely on their stars on Saturday who eventually won the game. It started in the third quarter when Jaylon Johnson jumped Jacob Eason’s pass and took it to the house, switching the momentum of the game.
Then, it was Tyler Huntley stepping up on third downs, putting the ball on the money to Jaylon Dixon, Samson Nacua and Solomon Enis. Zack Moss also scored twice and on his first touchdown, he caught the ball with ten yards to go and one defender in front of him. He made his move and proceeded to drag his defender for the last five yards. Julian Blackmon had a great interception, Bradlee Anae finally got a sack late in the fourth and here were many plays on Saturday that were made my Utah’s stars that eventually pushed them to victory. When the stakes were at their highest, Utah’s leaders delivered.
Petersen is perfect no more
The Utes’ win put a blemish on an immaculate record. Chris Petersen, as Joseph discussed in his article, had an 18-0 record playing after a BYE week. This dates back to his time at Boise State, but it’s also a direct reflection of how great of a coach he is.
Coming off of a tough loss to Oregon, Petersen used their BYE week to their advantage, as the Utah defense noticeably wasn’t ready for their early game plan. After Hunter Bryant’s 34 yard touchdown grab—he’s a special talent, by the way—Utah never traded scores back to back with the Huskies again. From that point on, the Utes would go on to consecutive scores each quarter, before Washington would finally respond.
Not to discredit the assistants to both of them, but this game lived up to its billing of two legendary coaches when it comes to schematics. However, this round goes to Kyle Whittingham as his guys proved to be the better counter-punchers.
For instance, Huntley had only been sacked seven times all year, but Petersen’s crew got him four times in the first half—only to never get him again the rest of the game. The Huskies had 14 carries for 52 yards at the half, but followed that up in the second half by rushing another eight times for one yard.
This year it was evident that that the Utes were the better team, while the Huskies were the pesky squad that came out with a solid game plan after their BYE week. However, in the end, Utah adjusted and Washington didn’t.
Job well done Whittingham and crew.
Thank you Ducks! Now, don’t get too cocky Utes
Yep, you read that headline and instantly smiled, didn’t you? The Utes are now in the driver's seat and look to be on an epic collision course with the Oregon Ducks for the Pac-12 Championship Game in a battle of two teams on the edge of the CFP. The Utes’ three remaining games after their upcoming BYE are: UCLA, Arizona, and Colorado—with two of those at home…
You probably just smiled again, didn’t you? Let us remind you that the Pac-12 loves to eat their own, which is one reason the Utes and Ducks aren’t getting the full respect they deserve as two one-loss teams. The one of the three games remaining that should cause a bit of unease, will be UCLA who is riding a four-game winning streak, while the other two are on skids showing massive struggles.
It’s a great time to be a Ute, just remember these next few weeks to not get ahead of yourselves.