Utah won the coin toss, deferred to the second half and elected to defend the North goal.
Offense
Senior quarterback Charlie Brewer surpassed 10,000 career passing yards in the game, becoming one of only two active FBS quarterbacks (Bailey Zappe, WKU) to achieve the feat.
Freshman running back Micah Bernard contributed a 32-yard rush in the second quarter, setting up Utah’s first touchdown of the night two plays later.
That touchdown, a 20-yard strike from quarterback Charlie Brewer to tight end Brant Kuithe, was the seventh touchdown reception of Kuithe’s career and first since Nov. 30, 2019, when Kuithe found the end zone three times (1 rush, 2 rec) vs. Colorado.
Bernard’s 32-yard scamper at that point reset his career-long, before Bernard once again topped that mark with a 50-yard rush in the final minute of the third period.
Utah was held off the scoreboard in the first quarter, snapping a run of seven straight periods in which the Utes produced points.
Junior tight end Dalton Kincaid had a 37-yard reception in the third quarter, his longest as a Ute and longest since Nov. 16, 2019 when Kincaid played for San Diego.
Defense
Junior linebacker Devin Lloyd had nine tackles in the first half, a week following an eight-stop performance in the first 30 minutes vs. Weber State.
For the second straight week, Utah forced three-and-outs on its opponent’s first two possessions.
Special Teams
Amidst an absolute downpour at the time, sophomore Jadon Redding made a career-long 47-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Redding had a streak snapped of 14 consecutive field goals made, as a 49-yard attempt was off the mark in the third quarter. It was Redding’s first miss since Sept. 28, 2019.