Utah Outlasts Oregon State 30-24 To Get First Win Of Season
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A win is a win. ... And if you're Utah, you'll take it anyway you can get it.
One week after blowing a 21-point halftime lead to Washington due to a sputtering offense and a defense that couldn't get the big stop, Utah found itself in nearly an identical scenario late Saturday night against Oregon State.
Leading the Beavers 30-24 with just over a minute on the clock after the offense sputtered for much of the fourth quarter, the defense needed a big play with Oregon State driving.
Unlike last week against the Huskies when that big play never came, Mika Tafua was the Ute who stepped up.
Tafua sacked Oregon State quarterback Chance Nolan on second down, forcing the Beavers to burn their final timeout near midfield. Then an incomplete pass on 4th-and-8 sealed the victory for the Utes when once again, Tafua applied the pressure to Nolan.
The end result was a 30-24 victory, Utah's first of the season.
While the Utes picked up the win, the way they played in the fourth quarter largely out-shadowed how good the team was through three quarters.
Utah's offense ran 11 plays in the fourth quarter, 10 consecutive rushes and one pass play. They gained an abysmal 11 yards on those plays, including the pass play falling incomplete to preserve an Oregon State timeout late in the game
With the offense showing no signs of life, the defense began to falter a bit as they were given no breaks on the sideline. Oregon State scored two touchdowns in the fourth to make it a one-score game with just over five minutes to play.
"We got to get the job done some way," junior linebacker Devin Lloyd said. "Playing through a little adversity, but we did it. Obviously feels great to get the win. We don't expect to lose ever, never even in our minds. ... But victories are what we play for, what we love and what we expect."
True freshman running back Ty Jordan was sensational in just his third college game of his career. He has emerged as the lead back for the Utes, especially after running for 167 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries — all career-highs.
It was an impressive bounce back performance for Jordan after he had a costly fumble in each of the previous two games.
Apart from Jordan, the return of Britain Covey was a beautiful thing to see. Healthy for the first time since Utah's first meeting with Washington back in 2018, Covey was once again dynamic by scoring through the air and on a punt return.
He finished the game with six touches for 61 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Bentley in the third quarter.
But his starring play of the game came very early in the fourth quarter.
Leading 23-10 and looking for a touchdown to put the game away, Covey took an Oregon State punt back 64 yards for the score. Not only did he break numerous tackles on the run, he showed that quickness and burst of speed that has made him a legend in Utah circles the past few years.
The beginning of the game saw Utah jumping out to a 9-0 lead, although it wasn't as impressive as it sounds.
After their first three drives got the Utes into the red zone each time, the offense faltered and couldn't find a way to get the ball across the goal line. A lot of those issues fell on Bentley, as he missed wide open touchdown throws to tight ends Brant Kuithe (twice) and Cole Fotheringham (once) — forcing Utah to settle for field goals.
Oregon State then got on the board with a field goal of its own, making it 9-3 midway through the second quarter.
Jordan then scored his lone touchdown late in the first half on a one-yard run, finally giving the Utes a touchdown in the red zone. But the Beavers responded with a touchdown of their own in the final minute, aided by three personal foul penalties on Utah.
The Utes came out well in the second half, getting a quick stop on defense to give the ball back to the offense. That ended with Bentley finding Covey for the touchdown pass, giving Utah control of the game.
After Covey's punt return made it 30-10 early in the fourth quarter, that's when things fell apart.
Utah had three three-and-outs in a row instead of putting the game away, getting very vanilla on offense and lacking a sense of creativity.
"Unacceptable," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said of Utah's offense in the fourth quarter. "That's on us as coaches. ... None of us are pleased with that."
In the end though, a win is a win and that's the biggest thing Utah will take from this game moving forward. The Utes will return to action on Friday when they have the chance to play spoiler against undefeated Colorado. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. MT.
Want to share opinions or ask questions? We want to hear them! Making a profile is free and it only takes ~1 minute to set up. Also, be sure to like us on social media for future coverage:
Twitter — @UtahUtes_SI and Ryan Kostecka at @Ryan_Kostecka