Powered by a strong second half, the Utah Utes defeated Arizona State 49-26 to remain in contention for the Pac-12 South title.
Make no mistake about it: this was a huge win for Kyle Whittingham’s squad. After all, Arizona State has dominated this series in recent history, winning 11 of the last 12 meetings. Considering that the Utes hadn’t won in Tempe since 1976 – when both schools were members of the WAC – this contest had “upset alert” written all over it.
At the end of the first quarter, it looked like Arizona State was going to extend its home winning streak against Utah to nine. The Sun Devil offense scored on three of its first four drives to take a 13-0 lead. In addition, the ASU defense played extremely well, recovering a fumble on the first drive, while forcing three-and-outs on the next two.
But, it was all Utah after the opening 15 minutes of the game. Troy Williams threw two long TD passes in the second quarter to put the Utes ahead 14-13. While Arizona would retake the lead on the next series, Utah mounted an 11-play, 82-yard drive just before halftime to take a 21-20 lead heading into the locker room.
The first two series of the second half would ultimately decide the outcome. Arizona State quickly moved the ball down the field, and was in position to retake the lead after it had a first and 10 at the Utah 24. However, the Ute defense came up with three straight negative plays (one tackle for a loss, two sacks), which forced the Devils to punt.
That stop would turn the tide in this contest. On the next play from scrimmage, Joe Williams broke an 82-yard run to give the Utes a 28-20 lead. Although Arizona State would eventually pull to within two, the Devils clearly weren’t the same team after that. The ASU offense that moved the ball well in the first quarter couldn’t block Hunter Dimick and Pita Taumoepenu in the second half, which led to a lot of negative plays. As a result of the pressure, Utah held the Sun Devils to just 25 yards in the fourth quarter.
With the victory, the Utes reminded us that they’re more-than-capable of winning the Pac-12 South title. The Utah offense proved that it’s much more than just the Joe Williams show, as Troy Williams completed 21 of 37 passes for 296 yards and four touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Ute defense played like one of the best units in the country at times, recording 22 tackles for a loss, 11 sacks, and two interceptions.
If that doesn’t sound like a team that can win a championship, I don’t know what does.
