Postgame Notes: No. 13 Utah vs. No. 8 Oregon
10/28/2023 5:36 PM | Football
Postgame Notes
No. 8 Oregon 35, (at) No. 13 Utah 6
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Kick: 1:35 p.m. MT | End: 4:30 p.m.
Attendance: 53,586 (sellout)
General
Offense
Defense
Special Teams
No. 8 Oregon 35, (at) No. 13 Utah 6
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Kick: 1:35 p.m. MT | End: 4:30 p.m.
Attendance: 53,586 (sellout)
General
- Today's game was the first home loss for Utah since the USC game on Nov. 21, 2020, snapping an 18-game winning streak for the Utes inside Rice-Eccles Stadium. Entering Saturday, it was the third-longest active home winning streak in FBS and the longest in the Pac-12 Conference.
- Prior to today, Utah had not lost at home with fans in the stands since Sept. 15, 2018 vs. Washington (ending a streak of 27 straight wins with fans in stands).
- Excluding 2020, Utah has sold out Rice-Eccles Stadium in 81 consecutive games dating back to the 2010 season opener vs. Pitt. Saturday's attendance of 53,586 marked the third-largest crowd in RES history, short of the Florida game this season (53,644) and USC in 2022 (53,609).
- The scheduled 1:30 p.m. kick time marked Utah's fifth day game of the season (kickoff at 3:45 p.m. local time or earlier). It's the most day games for the Utes since 2014.
- Four of the Utes' home games so far have been during the day, the most inside Rice-Eccles Stadium since the 2007 season (5). That 2007 total will be matched next Saturday in a noon game vs. Arizona State.
- Utah had not lost to Oregon at home since Nov. 19, 2016.
- Utah won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The Utes defended the North goal to begin the game.
Offense
- Wide receiver Devaughn Vele tied a career-high with seven receptions for a season-best 80 yards. His other seven-catch game came vs. Oregon State in 2022, while his yardage was the most for Vele since posting 100 yards in the Rose Bowl vs. Penn State last season.
- With his seven receptions today, Vele broke the 100 career receptions mark, sitting with 102 through 44 career games as a Ute.
- Vele added his second career completion during the fourth quarter on a six-yard pass to Miki Suguturaga. His other completion went for nine yards in the USC game on Oct. 15, 2022.
- Fellow wide receiver Money Parks had a career-best five receptions, recording a catch for the 19th straight game.
- Running back Jaylon Glover made a seven-yard reception for a first down during the first quarter. Glover now has a reception in four of the last five games.
- As a team, Utah averaged 8.9 yards per completion.
- Today was the first time since the 2018 Pac-12 Championship that Utah was held without a touchdown.
- Utah won the time of possession battle at 31:57 to 28:03 and has now won the time of possession battle in six of the eight games.
Defense
- Making his second start as a Ute, linebacker Levani Damuni contributed a game-high 11 tackles. It was Damuni's most as a Ute and one short of tying his career-high (12), which he last reached against Utah while playing for Stanford during the 2022 season.
- Fellow linebacker Karene Reid tied his season-high with nine tackles in the game.
- Safeties Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki each made seven tackles on the day and remain atop the team with 42 tackles on the season.
- Defensive end Connor O'Toole made a four-yard TFL during the fourth quarter and has at least an assisted TFL in each of his three games since returning from injury.
- During the first quarter, defensive tackle Junior Tafuna recorded his first forced fumble as a Ute as well as a recovery on the play; it was his second career recovery with the other coming in the game at Oregon State in 2021.
- With Tafuna's recovery, the Utes have at least one defensive takeaway in all seven games this season.
- Nickel back Tao Johnson made a third-down stop during the second quarter; it came via Johnson's fourth pass breakup of the season.
- Cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn recorded his team-leading fifth PBU of the season.
- Oregon scored on its game-opening drive, becoming just the third Utah opponent this season to score on its first drive of the game.
Special Teams
- Punter Jack Bouwmeester sailed three punts for 50-plus yards; he now has 13 such punts this season for 50 or more yards.
- Kicker Cole Becker made a 30-yard field goal as the first half expired. It marks the fourth time in the last six matchups with Oregon that Utah has scored on special teams entering halftime:
- Today
- Dec. 3, 2021 in the Pac-12 Championship: (Jadon Redding 50-yard field goal)
- Nov. 20, 2021 (Britain Covey 78-yard punt return TD)
- Nov. 10, 2018 (Matt Gay 55-yard field goal)
- Dijon Stanley ran back a 49-yard kickoff return after a lateral from Mikey Matthews. It was Stanley's first collegiate kickoff return.
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