The University of Utah was looking for revenge after falling short to Oregon State last season. While the defense wasn’t stellar and the offense had moments of lackluster drives, the secondary shined and was a key factor that helped shape the win. The Utes’ are now 2-0 in Pac-12 play beating Oregon State 42-16.
Here are the takeaways from the Pac-12 victory:
Rising shines with new offensive options
The Utes’ preparation this week for the offense drastically changed after losing Brant Kuithe to a season ending injury. While they’re without Rising’s top target, the options for him still seem abundant. He hit eight different targets, as Devaughn Vele led the team with 94 yards and one touchdown on seven receptions. Micah Bernard and Dalton Kincaid each had three receptions for 37 yards and 17 yards, respectively—with Kincaid scoring one touchdown and having another wiped out due to a penalty. Jaylon Dixon scored both times he touched the ball through the ground and in the air. Munir McClain, Logan Kendall, Thomas Yassmin and Money Parks also caught passes.
Rising elevated the offense with both his arm and his legs. He completed 19-25 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns, while keeping OSU on their toes with 73 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Blown trick play kills momentum
With Utah moving the ball up and down the field, Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig made a surprising decision. Ja’Quinden Jackson came in for the wildcat formation and didn’t seem ready for Paul Maile’s shotgun snap to his stomach. Jackson fell on it for a nine yard loss taking Utah out of field goal range. The Utes were then forced to do a quick-punt with Rising. Blame it on the lack of execution, but it was a head-scratcher of a call.
That was with 3:25 left in the first half and the Beavers would go down and kick a field goal. Utah’s next two possessions went for six plays and 12 yards, resulting in two punts. Utah wouldn’t get more points on the board until 6:18 left in the third quarter.
Despite the initial consequences of the wildcat play call, Ludwig called a creative game plan.
Defense made game-changing plays, despite rough patches
The defense gave up 417 total yards and the Beavers had timely runs that gashed the Utes’ front seven. They also utilized their arsenal of trick plays to keep the Utes on their toes. What flipped the script for the defense was their timely interceptions—two coming in the end zone to stop Oregon State scoring opportunities and a pick-6.
Clark Phillips III had a stand-out game. His three interceptions tied him for second most interceptions in a game since Ute-great Robert Johnson in 2009. Phillips was also the first Ute with three interceptions during a home game since Norm Thompson in 1970.
Utah needs an answer at running back
One week after Tavion Thomas was suspended for the first half of the Arizona State game, the punishment seemed to continue, as Jaylon Glover started and Micah Bernard was the second running back in. Punishment or not, Thomas isn’t running like he did in 2021. He had six carries for 16 yards on Saturday, while the others didn’t do much better. Bernard and Glover averaged 3.2 and 3.0 yards per carry, respectively. Jackson’s numbers were damaged by the nine yard loss on the fumbled snap.
Bernard seems to be rounding back into form after some minor injuries limited him the first few games of the season. However, he’s currently most dangerous as a pass-catcher.
The talent is there, but someone needs to step up and unquestionably be the lead back. This isn’t a promising development. As mentioned above, Rising led the Utah offense with 73 of their 162 yards.
Up next
The Utes will travel to Pasadena to play a suddenly hit UCLA team that should find themselves ranked in the Top 20. The 5-0 Bruins are led by fifth-year senior Dorian Thomson-Robinson, and they stunned the No. 15 Washington Huskies on Friday night, 40-32. The game will kickoff at 1:30 PM MST. It’s to-be-determined whether they play on FOX or FS1.
Suddenly this game became a huge matchup.
