No. 12 Utah Pulls Away From Utah State in Second Half

© Jamie Sabau - Imagn Images

No. 12 Utah (3-0) outscored Utah State (1-2) by 13 in the second half to win 38-21 at Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah on Sept. 14. Utah State took advantage of a slow Utah start to take a 14-3 lead behind former Utes quarterback Bryson Barnes. The Utes made a counter punch to the Aggies behind backup quarterback Isaac Wilson to take a 17-14 lead at halftime. In the second half, the Utah defense slowed down the Utah State offense allowing their offense to take control of the game and erase all doubt without Cam Rising.

No Rising, No Problem

Wilson started this game this week with standout quarterback Cam Rising out with a hand injury suffered against Baylor (2-1) last week. The Utah offense, with him behind center, started slow with the first four drives resulting in two three-and-outs but did get a field goal on one of those drives. Then Wilson settled in throwing a touchdown on two of the next three drives. Both touchdown passes were from 11 yards out with the first going to wide receiver Money Parks and then tight end Caleb Lohner. He ended the game by completing 22-of-33 passes for 239 yards 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Running back Micah Bernard took some of the pressure off of Wilson being effective on the ground rushing for 123 yards and 1 touchdown.

Turning Point for Utah

Utah State had been able to move the ball behind Barnes. The Aggies defense got a fourth down stop to get the ball back up 14-10. The Utah State offense moved the ball down the field before Barnes threw an interception to Cameron Calhoun.

The opportunity sparked the Utah offense to score with Wilson's second touchdown to take the lead with 1:19 left in the half and the Utes would not look back.

What It Means

Utah was able to win a game without their leader Rising on offense. The Utah offense stayed balanced with 239 yards passing and 221 yards rushing. Utah survived the slow start, and the offense was efficient enough to beat Utah State. Utah is now moving into Big 12 Conference play with some comfort in Wilson behind center if Rising misses more time. Next week will be the toughest challenge this season for the Utes with a road trip to Stillwater, Okla., to face Ollie Gordon II and No. 13 Oklahoma State (3-0).

Utah State had a beatdown from No. 11 USC (2-0) last week. The Aggies were able to get excited about this in-state rivalry game and give the Utes their best shot. While the outcome is not what they would want, the performance gives them something to build on heading into Mountain West Conference play. This Utah State team may not be a legitimate threat to win their conference, but they will beat some quality competition this season. The Aggies have one more game before conference play starts against Temple (0-3) and will be favored against the Owls.