During the Utes’ game against the Oregon Ducks on Saturday, Nov. 19, plenty of plays impacted the end result that saw Utah lose to Oregon 30-28.
“It was disappointing to say the least,” said head coach Kyle Whittingham. “We were not able to make some plays. Couldn’t get a stop on defense when we needed to. We all shared in it. All of that falls on me. I’ll shoulder that responsibility, but it’s a shame. We couldn’t take care of our business.”
In the second quarter, Oregon’s quarterback Justin Herbert rushed for seven yards, ending the play on Utah’s 26. But Charles Nelson was flagged for a 15 yard penalty for targeting, and he was ejected to from the game. This play eliminated any chance for Oregon to put up more points on the board. The Ducks had three at the time, and they were forced to punt it.
After Oregon punted the ball, Utah’s Troy Williams led his offense to Oregon’s 15 yard line, but as Williams was running, keeping his focus on the endzone, Jimmie Swain from Oregon knocked the ball out of Williams’ hands and Oregon recovered the ball.
The Utes’ defense held up, however, and they forced Oregon to attempt a field goal, but the kick was wide to the right and the Ducks walked away with no points.
Utah’s fortune did not last long. When the game picked up in the second half, punter Mitch Wishnowsky punted the ball for 55 yards, but Oregon returned the ball back for 45 yards. In their first and only play of the drive, the Ducks scored.
Still, Oregon had not taken a lead in the game. It wasn’t until the 10:37 mark in the fourth quarter that the Ducks saw themselves leading, but following a touchdown from Justin Herbert to Royce Freeman, Oregon went on top 17-14.
“Our zone coverage was ridiculously bad,” Whittingham said. “And Oregon exploited that over and over.”
The moment that brought the game back to the Utes was during Wishnowsky’s punt in the fourth quarter. The punt receiver for Oregon fumbled the ball and Chase Hansen recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown for the Utes.
It wasn’t enough for the Utes, however, as they suffered their third defeat of the season.
“We needed to make a play and we didn’t,” said Hunter Dimick. “We are just going to try and focus on Colorado. It sucks right now but we still have work to do.”
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