The #13 Utah Utes (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) beat the Oregon State Beavers (2-6, 0-5 Pac-12) in the annual blackout of Rice-Eccles Stadium, 27-12. The Utes faced former defensive coordinators Gary Andersen (2005-08) and Kalani Sitake (2009-2014) on the OSU coaching staff, as well as former defensive line coach Iliasa Tuiaki.
“I definitely had a lot to prove after the performance at the USC game,” said Utah quarterback Travis Wilson. Wilson indeed bounced back, finishing with 198 passing yards, completing 14 of 17 passing attempts with a touchdown and no turnovers. He added 56 rushing yards on 14 carries.
The Utes opened the game with a 12-play drive that ate nearly 7 minutes off the clock, culminating with Devontae Booker 1-yard touchdown run. After forcing a Beavers punt, the Utes struck again on a 39-yard touchdown pass down the sideline from Wilson to tight end Harrison Handley.
Oregon State kicker Garrett Owens knocked in a pair of field goals in the 2nd quarter, and that was the only scoring until the Utah kicker Andy Phillips scored a field goal of his own early in the 4th quarter.
The Utes struck again after a Wilson pass to wide receiver Kenneth Scott for 37 yards inside the Beaver red zone. Wilson got the Utes on the board again with 9:21 left in the game with a 2-yard option keeper for a touchdown.
Oregon State quarterback Nick Mitchell found wide receiver Jordan Villamin for a seam route that split the Utah defense for 74 yards that led to the Beavers’ lone touchdown. Mitchell finished with 204 passing yards, completing 19-of-35 passes.
Booker finished with 123 yards rushing for the Utes on 25 carries. That puts Booker over 115 rushing yards in 5 of Utah’s 8 games this season.
Utah will head to Seattle next Saturday to face the Washington Huskies at 5:30 MT. Utah maintains a 1-game lead in the Pac-12 South division.
Kyle Whittingham Postgame:
Travis Wilson, Devontae Booker, Jared Norris, Harrison Handley, and Reggie Porter Postgame:
