Utes Fall In Shootout At Washington State, 28-24
9/29/2018 7:53 PM | Football
Utah held a three-point lead heading into the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, but Washington State completed an 89-yard pass on its second play of the drive to take the lead and eventually win the game. Even though the Utes were able to hold Washington State to zero rushing yards, the Cougars were still able to put up 445 passing yards.
Zack Moss led the Utah offense with 30 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown, his second 100-yard game of the season. Tyler Huntley was 12-for-20 passing for 118 yards, adding a season-high 88 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Chase Hansen led the Utes on defense with seven tackles with Julian Blackmon adding six. Corrion Ballard also added three tackles, two pass breakups and a key interception.
Mitch Wishnowsky was outstanding for the Utes on special teams coming away with six punts for 253 yards (42.2 yards/punt), landing four of his six inside the 20.
The Utes came out firing on all cylinders to start the game with an interception leading to Utah's first touchdown of the game. Ballard came away with the pick in the Utah red zone to stop the Cougar's first drive of the game, setting up Utah's scoring drive on their own 25-yard-line.
After a targeting call on a 22-yard rush by Britain Covey that extended the Utah drive, Moss took the Utes to the WSU 24-yard-line where Huntley broke free for a 24-yard rushing touchdown straight down the middle of the field. It ended a 10-play, 75-yard drive to give Utah a 7-0 lead with 8:22 left to play in the first quarter.
Washington State answered quickly with a four-yard rushing touchdown to even the score, but the shootout continued as Utah countered on their next drive. Huntley and Moss marched the Utes down field for a 65-yard scoring drive, ending with Moss powering through the pile for a six-yard score to make it 14-7 with just over a minute remaining in the quarter.
The Cougars struck again to start the second quarter after Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew punched in a 10-yard rushing touchdown, tying it up 14-14. It was another 75-yard drive for WSU, taking 4:20 off the clock for 12 plays.
Washington State took the lead with 9:03 left to go in the second quarter when Minshew found a receiver wide open over the middle. The 65-yard passing touchdown gave WSU a 21-14 advantage, putting an end to just a two-play drive.
The Utes didn't give in, tying the score yet again with 6:01 remaining in the second quarter. The 75-yard scoring drive was fueled by a 38-yard reception by Jaylen Dixon to the Washington State six-yard-line, allowing Huntley to finish with a one-yard rushing score to make it 21-21.
It was Utah's turn to take the lead to start the third quarter, scoring on their opening drive. Matt Gay converted on a 41-yard field goal with 10:39 on the clock to put Utah up 24-21, ending a 10-play, 52-yard drive that burned 4:21 off the clock.
With Utah having a punt return for a touchdown called back on a penalty, the game would remain scoreless until the 4:14 mark in the fourth quarter. Wishnowsky was able to pin the Cougars inside their own 10-yard-line once again, but the Cougars were able to score on an 89-yard reception on the second play of their drive to take a 28-24 lead.
Utah started their final drive with a little over four minutes to go, but after having two fourth down conversions called back due to penalties, the Utes were unable to find the end zone with Washington State grabbing the 28-24 victory.
The Utes return to action on Saturday, Oct. 6 when they take on Stanford on the road. The game time is scheduled to be announced tomorrow.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats

UTAH 7, WSU 0
UTAH - Huntley, Tyler 24 yd run (Gay, Matt kick), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:28

UTAH 7, WSU 7
WSU - Martin, Tay 4 yd pass from Minshew,Gardner (Mazza, Blake kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:15

UTAH 14, WSU 7
UTAH - Moss, Zack 6 yd run (Gay, Matt kick), 10 plays, 65 yards, TOP 4:00

UTAH 14, WSU 14
WSU - Minshew,Gardner 10 yd run (Mazza, Blake kick), 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:20

UTAH 14, WSU 21
WSU - Patmon, Dezmon 65 yd pass from Minshew,Gardner (Mazza, Blake kick) 2 plays, 65 yards, TOP 0:57

UTAH 21, WSU 21
UTAH - Huntley, Tyler 1 yd run (Gay, Matt kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:02

UTAH 24, WSU 21
UTAH - Gay, Matt 41 yd field goal 10 plays, 52 yards, TOP 4:21

UTAH 24, WSU 28
WSU - Winston, Easop 89 yd pass from Minshew,Gardner (Mazza, Blake kick) 2 plays, 93 yards, TOP 0:53







