Utah Football Pushes Past Utah State, 38-21

Saturday, September 14

Logan, Utah / Maverik Stadium

2:30 p.m.

University of Utah

3-0 , 0-0

Utah State

1-2 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Utah

Utah St.

9/14/2024 7:52 PM | Football

Box Score Postgame Quotes Postgame Notes Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

SALT LAKE CITY – After a slow start on offense, the No. 12 University of Utah Football team surged past the Utah State Aggies, winning 38-21 to improve to 3-0 on the season as it heads into Big 12 play next week.

It is the second straight year that the Utes have started the season 3-0 and the ninth time under head coach Kyle Whittingham. It also marked Whittingham's 250^th win at Utah during his time as an assistant and head coach.

Utah trailed by 11 early in the second quarter, the first time since 2021 that the Utes have been behind by 10-or-more points in a regular-season non-conference game. The Utes had an answer though, scoring two unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter – taking a 17-14 lead into halftime.

The Utes wouldn't surrender the lead for the remainder of the game, even with Utah State cutting it to seven points with less than a minute to go in the third quarter. After the Aggies produced 261 yards in the first half, Utah's defense would hold them to just 124 in the second with the Utes recording 248 of their own.

GAME LEADERS
True freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson wrapped up his first-career start with a career-high 239 passing yards (20-33-1) and three touchdowns, the most yards by a freshman in their first start since 2012. Wilson hit nine different players with passes, led by senior tight end Brant Kuithe, who had three catches for 68 yards.

It was once again Tight End U for the Utes tonight as Kuithe, Caleb Lohner and Carsen Ryan combined for six catches with Lohner and Ryan coming down with two of Utah's three receiving touchdowns.

On the ground, Bernard secured his second-straight 100-yard rushing game, racking up a season-high 123 yards on 17 carries (7.2 ypc), scoring Utah's only rushing touchdown of the game. Redshirt freshman Mike Mitchell also had a career night, putting up 14 carries for 75 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry.

Senior defensive end Van Fillinger tied his career-high on the defensive side, leading the squad with eight stops (1.0 TFL, 0.5 sack) along with two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry. Sophomore Smith Snowden kept the trend going with a career-best six tackles, also grabbing his first-career interception.

On special teams, senior Cole Becker was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals (39, 25, 18 yards) and was 3-of-3 on PATs, giving him a career-high 12 points. Punter Jack Bouwmeester also had four punts for 156 yards (39.0 avg) with a long of 51 yards.

STANDOUT STAT
Out of Utah's 460 yards of total offense, 323 came from freshmen (70%). Wilson threw for 239 yards with nine yards rushing while Mitchell added 75 yards rushing.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

As a team, Utah's 221 rushing yards were a season-high and the most since the Colorado game (268) on Nov. 25, 2023.
True freshman Isaac Wilson became the fifth known true freshman in program history to start a game for the Utes, and first since Travis Wilson started the final seven games of the 2012 season. Of those five true freshmen, Wilson is the second to also grow up in Utah (SLC native Ken Vierra started two games as a true freshman in 1981).
Wilson became the second true freshman starting QB to win when his first career start was on the road; the other was Vierra who helped Utah to a victory at Northwestern on Sept. 26, 1981.
Tight end Brant Kuithe had three catches for 68 yards, now standing at 2,024 receiving yards for his career. It puts Kuithe sixth all-time in program history, passing Britain Covey (2015, '18-21) during the game today.
Snowden, safety Rabbit Evans and cornerback Elijah Davis all set career-highs in tackles during the first half.
Cornerback Cameron Calhoun made his first career interception, giving Utah possession with 2:57 remaining in the first half.

UP NEXT
Utah will kickoff Big 12 play on the road, taking on the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday, Sept. 21 in Boone Pickens Stadium. The game is set for a 2 p.m. MT kick on FOX.