Utah continued its M.O. of beating teams it probably shouldn’t tonight as it shocked Louisville 44-35.
The Utes’ offense put the team up 21-0 early and running back Darrell Mack rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns as Utah outscored the Cardinals.
Following a shaky start against Utah State a week ago, the Utes’ Brian Johnson bounced back and threw for 312 yards and a touchdown. The junior also ran 25 yards for a score late in the third quarter.
Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm kept the Cardinals in the game late and the team trailed by a mere six points with 3:33 left in the game. But an ill-advised onside kick left the Utes with great field position and they took advantage of it, kicking a field goal with 1:13 left in the game to seal the upset victory.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham worried about the Utes getting into a shootout with the Cardinals earlier in the week and with good reason. Despite playing the game without three of his best receivers, Brohm finished the game completing 39 of 58 passes for 467 yards and four touchdowns. Leading receiver Harry Douglas, who averages 169.8 yards per game this year, missed his second straight game.
Meanwhile, the Utes’ offense couldn’t be stopped. On the Utes’ second possession, they took advantage of a proficient passing game to move the ball 97 yards, scoring on a seven-yard pass from Johnson to wide receiver Bradon Godfrey.
Godfrey also proved to be a factor in the Utah passing game. The junior faked a hold on a field goal attempt and threw a 10-yard gain to tight end Matt Sims to get a first down and keep a Utah drive alive. Mack rushed into the endzone on the next play and the Utes led 27-7 at the half.
Mack and the Utes compiled a total of 260 yards on the ground in the win, more than any other game this season. In comparison, the Cardinals rushed for a total of 26 yards despite coming into the game averaging close to 200 yards per contest.
The win marks the second victory for the Utes against BCS conferences this season as they had already upset then-No. 11 UCLA at Rice-Eccles Stadium earlier this season, 44-6.
Despite the victory, the Utes still find themselves at the bottom of the Mountain West Conference standings. They are currently 0-2 in league play.
Utah has a chance to pick up its first conference win next week when it hosts San Diego State at Rice-Eccles Stadium next Saturday.