The University of Utah finished their 2024 football season with a convincing 28-14 win over the UCF Golden Knights on Friday night. Led by Luke Bottari, the offense did just enough in a trademark Utah Football game with the defense coming up with big play after big play. The Utes now enter a pivotal offseason as they look to get back on track as the dominant and physical football team that the college football world has come to know.

Here are the takeaways from the Utes season finale:

Thank you seniors

This season didn’t go near as planned as chaos struck starting in Game Two. That doesn’t change the fact that this senior class provided so many memorable moments for Ute fans that will last a lifetime. Pac-12 championships, two Rose Bowls, and endless huge wins in front of a national audience. The list of accomplishments can go on and on. Once the dust has settled and this season is in the rearview mirror, everyone will remember this group for those previously mentioned accomplishments, not the bad injury luck that struck the program the last two years.

The Captain gets 1,000

Micah Bernard has seen a lot in his time at Utah, arriving on campus as a 17 year-old freshman. After redshirting, he shared the backfield with the late Ty Jordan, a duo that Utah was ready to build their offense around for years.

After the passing of Jordan, Bernard fought through injuries during Utah’s first Pac-12 championship season, sharing the backfield and stepping up to start at cornerback during the Rose Bowl. A crucial part of the Utes 2022 Pac-12 championship team, Bernard then missed most of 2023 due to a freak injury.

The Utes 2024 season was supposed to be another special one, and Bernard quickly turned into what seemed like Utah's only consistent offensive threat due to injuries and bad quarterback play. His hard work culminated in a 1,000 yard season Saturday night against UCF.

Bernard is the definition of a “Utah Man.” He selflessly sacrificed during most of his time as a Ute and he’ll go down as a fan favorite for years to come.

Pick-Six U

Before last week, it looked like Utah’s 20-year pick-six streak was about to come to an end. Lander Barton kept the jaw-dropping streak alive with an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown.

After the Utes victory over UCF, add two more to the season total, as the defense delivered more touchdowns than the offense in the process. Up 3-0 midway through the second quarter, Zemaiah Vaughn capped his college career with a 60-yard pick-six. Then, with just over three minutes left in the game, Smith Snowden staked his claim on the throne as the next great Utah defensive back with a 13-yard pick-six.

Over the last 20 years, the Utes lead all of college football with 48 pick-sixes during that span. The impressive feat has them alone at the top in the category with Alabama and Ohio State.

The legend of an undefeated walk-on

Down to their QB5 due to a rash of season-ending quarterback injuries, Luke Bottari got his second start of his career, finishing with a 2-0 record. It wasn’t flashy, but he hit timely plays, going 13-20 for 111 yards and 1 touchdown. The touchdown was a perfectly placed pass in the corner of the end zone to tight end Landen King. The score gave Utah a comfortable two-score lead and they never looked back.

The game ball undoubtedly goes to Utah’s defense, but hat tip to the Bottari Ferrari, on getting just enough that needed to be done. It was another reminder on how badly the quarterback position behind Cam Rising was evaluated this season, as different decisions on the pecking order likely would’ve had Utah, at a minimum, bowl eligible.

Up next

The Utes will miss a bowl game for the first time since the 2013 season. They qualified during the Covid 2020 season, but elected to not play in one due to the stress of that year. Heading into the offseason there are a lot of questions: Does Kyle Whittingham retire? Who is the new offensive coordinator? Does Cam Rising return after another injury-cursed season? Will there be any impact players that hit the portal after a trying season?

The list of questions can go on and on. Buckle up, UteNation, it could be an even more interesting time over the next week.