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The University of Utah Athletics
In-Game Notes Pac-12 Championship vs. Oregon
General
Offense
Defense
Special Teams
- Utah has now held the lead at halftime in 10 of 13 games. Two of the Utes' three largest leads at the break this season have come vs. Oregon:
- Nov. 5 at Stanford: Utah 38, Stanford 0 (38 points)
- Nov. 20 vs. Oregon: Utah 28, Oregon 0 (28 points)
- Dec. 3 vs. Oregon: Utah 23, Oregon 0 (23 points)
- Utah’s 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter matches the largest for an Pac-12 Football Championship Game and most since the first held championship game in 2011. Oregon led UCLA 21-7 in the first such game in 2011.
- Between the regular season (1-for-6) and championship (0-for-5) matchups with Utah, Oregon was held to a combined 1-for-11 during the first half on third-down conversions and was outscored a combined 51-0 in that time. Oregon entered the Pac-12 Championship Game ranked No. 3 in FBS in third-down conversions (52.9%).
- Utah did not surrender a third-down conversion to Oregon until late in the third quarter, on the Ducks' eighth attempt.
- Oregon won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Utah defended the South goal to begin the game.
- Utah was joined for the coin toss by honorary captain Donna Lowe, mother of the late Aaron Lowe.
Offense
- Sophomore quarterback Cameron Rising passed for a touchdown (Dalton Kincaid) during the second quarter. Rising has passed for at least one score in three of Utah's last four games.
- Junior wide receiver Britain Covey has now caught at least one pass in 16 straight games and 43 of his 46 career games as a Ute.
- Sophomore running back Tavion Thomas crossed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season late in the second quarter.
- Thomas added another three-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Thomas is the seventh player to rush for multiple touchdowns in Pac-12 Championship history and first since Oregon's CJ Verdell in 2019.Â
- Thomas has scored 14Â of Utah's last 22Â rushing touchdowns.
- Junior and fellow running back TJ Pledger had a four-yard scamper to the end zone in the third quarter, marking the first Pac-12 Championship Game that multiple Utes have rushed for a touchdown.
- Pledger's third quarter score was his sixth of the season, marking the first season since 2010 that Utah has had two running backs produce six or more rushing touchdowns.
- Utah scored on its game-opening drive for the seventh time this season (6 TD, 1 FG) and first time since the Arizona game (Nov. 13).
Defense
- Junior linebacker Devin Lloyd had a 34-yard pick-six during the first quarter. It is Lloyd's second pick-six of the season (at Stanford) and third of his career.
- Lloyd's pick-six was the first by a Ute during a Pac-12 Championship Game, and first by any player in a Pac-12 Championship Game since 2018. Including Lloyd, there have now been four interceptions returned four touchdowns during the Pac-12 Championship Game all-time.
- In four career games vs. Oregon, Lloyd has no fewer than six tackles in each game, and has at least one TFL in three of those four contests.
- As a team, Utah has now returned three interceptions for touchdowns this season, the first time since 2019 (four) that the Utes have accomplished this feat.
- Sophomore linebacker Malone Mataele picked off Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown late in the second quarter for Mataele's first career interception.
- Utah's first sack of the night came in the third quarter via freshman Cole Bishop. Bishop now has 3.0 sacks on the season and 8.0 TFL, all in the last five games (since Stanford on Nov. 5).
- Bishop added a pass breakup on the next play after the sack, his fifth of the season--again all since the Stanford game.
- Freshman defensive tackle Tennessee Pututau recorded his first career sack during the third quarter.
- For the eighth time this season and second straight time vs. Oregon, Utah held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive.
- Oregon did not cross into Utah territory until the second quarter and was limited to 26 yards of total offense during the first quarter.
Special Teams
- Sophomore Jadon Redding drilled a career-long 50-yard field goal as time expired on the first half.
- Since the Pac-12 Championship game began in 2011, only Redding and former Ute Matt Gay (53 in 2018) have made field goals of 50-plus yards in a Pac-12 Championship Game.
- Utah has produced points via special teams to end the first half in both of its 2021 matchups with Oregon. It includes Redding's field goal this evening as well as a 78-yard punt return touchdown by Britain Covey on Nov. 20 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.