Utes cut down error-prone No. 14 Cardinal
Oct 7, 2018
Tyler Huntley threw for 199 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-21 passing, and Zack Moss added 160 yards and two scores on the ground to lead Utah to a 40-21 win over No. 14 Stanford on Saturday.
The Utes (3-2, 1-2 Pac-12) snapped a two-game losing streak and scored 17 points off four Stanford turnovers.
The Cardinal (4-2, 2-1) played without star running back Bryce Love. K.J. Costello threw for 381 yards and a touchdown. But Costello also had a pair of second-quarter interceptions and a fourth-quarter fumble.
Utah covered 80 yards in 13 plays and took 6 1/2 minutes off the clock to take a 7-0 lead in the final minute of the first quarter. The Utes ran 11 times on the drive, capped by a 7-yard score from Moss off an option pitch.
Back-to-back Stanford turnovers helped Utah extend the lead in the second quarter.
Jaylon Johnson snagged a pass from Costello at the goal line and took it back 100 yards to make it 14-0, and Costello threw another red zone interception to Hauati Pututau on the next drive.
The Utes cashed that turnover in with a second touchdown from Moss. He found a hole on fourth-and-2 and broke free for a 35-yard scamper to make it 21-0 with 2:56 left before halftime.
The Cardinal finally got on the board with a 2-yard plunge from Trevor Speights. JJ Arcega-Whiteside hauled in an 11-yard pass on fourth down to help set up the score.
Utah extended its lead again on a pair of field goals from Matt Gay. He drilled a 48-yarder and 49-yarder to put the Utes up 27-7 early in the third quarter.
Stanford finally found some momentum as the quarter progressed.
Cameron Scarlett scored on a 1-yard dive over the line, and Michael Wilson hauled in a 26-yard scoring catch on the ensuring Cardinal drive. It trimmed Utah's lead to 27-21 with 1:44 left in the third quarter.
The Utes slammed the door on a comeback in the fourth.
Gay made a 34-yard field goal to give Utah a nine-point lead. On the Utes' next drive, Huntley shook off a sack and connected with Samson Nacua on a 57-yard strike for his first touchdown pass since the season opener to make it 37-21.
Stanford's last chance to rally ended when Corrion Ballard recovered a Costello fumble at the Utah 42 with 5:32 left.
--Field Level Media