The Buffaloes had the ball with just under two minutes remaining and were down by only one score.
Utah fans and players were witnessing another fourth quarter lead slowly slipping away when Reilly provided something that has eluded the Utes all too often throughout the season — an interception.
Utah’s third pick of the year sealed the 24-17 win, and Reilly made it one to remember.
After securing the pick, the beloved senior launched the ball into the south end zone seats as a token of appreciation to the fans and alumni to whom he had been apologizing over the past few weeks for letting them down.
Every referee on the gridiron sent their flags flying for unsportsmanlike conduct, but Reilly didn’t seem to care. As he triumphantly marched off the field, he ripped off his helmet
and heaved it into the MUSS without hesitation. The raucous student section began chanting his name.
Two subsequent kneel-downs by quarterback Adam Schulz ran the clock to zero and gave the Utes their first win in 50 days.
“To get the interception was personally nice, but it sealed the game, which felt better,” Reilly said. “The defense played great in the first half and gave up 17 in the second half, butConferwe
are very happy we won.”
In the early going, Utah looked like it would run away with the contest. In his third game back from injury, tight end Jake Murphy scored for the fifth time since his return. Senior running
back Kelvin York had a productive conclusion to his career, scoring the other two Ute touchdowns on 132 yards rushing as Utah took a 21-0 lead into the locker room.
However, the Ute offense never found its stride in the second half and did not cross the goal line again.
“We came out hot then died down a bit,” Schulz said. “It was not necessarily anything they did, but at the end of the day, we did well,and the defense held them really well.”
In the second half, Colorado quarterback Sefo Luifau first found Scott Fernandez for a 34-yard
touchdown up the middle of the field. Then, after a drive stalled on the Utes’ 2-yard line, Buffs’ kicker Will Oliver tacked on three more points to make it 21-10.
Utah kicker Andy Phillips pushed the lead back to 24-10 on a 46-yard field goal, but Colorado didn’t go away. Luifau hit Nelson Spruce for another touchdown, and the Buffaloes were
in striking distance again at 24-17 with 2:30 remaining.
After Colorado failed an onside kick, the Utes got the ball but could not make any progress and had to relinquish possession with plenty of time remaining.
That’s when Reilly put his foot down and ended it once and for all.
“We made the game more difficult than it needed to be. Credit Colorado, they hung in there,” said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham.
“Bottom line, we got a win, and it was great for the seniors to go out with a win.”