In football, a common phrase for coaches to drill into their players heads is, “Who wants it more?” Both Utah and Michigan had something to prove in Saturday’s matchup, but it was the Utes who showed they really wanted it more.
With a suffocating defense, a balanced offensive attack and strong showing from the special teams, the Utes overcame a few mistakes and a rain delay to take a win from Michigan at the Big House, 26-10. Head coach Kyle Whittingham was extremely happy with how his team came out and finished the game.
“Who knew what that situation was going to be,” Whittingham said. “But it is all up in [your head] and in [your heart] in the end. And [the team] responded very well and came out and finished the game the way it was meant to be finished.”
Michigan recorded first blood with a field goal on its opening drive, but it didn’t take long for Utah to respond. On the second series of the game for the Utes, quarterback Travis Wilson dumped a pass off to running back Bubba Poole for a 67-yard screen play to set up an Andy Phillips 35-yard field goal.
After forcing a Michigan punt shortly after, senior return man Kaelin Clay returned it for a 66-yard touchdown, his third return for a touchdown this season. Clay even struck the Heisman pose after scoring, reminiscent of Michigan great Desmond Howard, which did not sit well with the home crowd. Clay finished with 129 all-purpose yards from returning punts and kickoffs, as well as gaining some receiving yards.
“It just happened,” Clay said. “It was a little homage to Desmond. I’m not selfish or anything, it was cool.”
However, everything wasn’t all good and well for Utah throughout the game. Ute fans held their breath when Wilson attempted to jump over a player midway through the second quarter. As he was leaping over the defender, another tackler hit Wilson’s midsection, forcing him to land on the front part of his head resulting in a lacerated nose. He was taken out for the rest of the half and had to get stitches in his nose before he could return.
Backup quarterback Kendal Thompson took over and his first drive could not have gone any worse. During a broken screen play with Utah on their own 10-yard line, Thompson threw a pass right into the hands of Michigan defender Ryan Glasgow, who rolled into the endzone for what would be the Wolverines last score of the day.
Thompson made up for that interception, as he led the Utes on a redeeming drive down the field to help get another field goal to put Utah ahead 13-10 heading into halftime.
“We think a lot of Kendal Thompson,” Whittingham said. “He is a great athlete and a guy that is going to continue to play for and have his spots in the game where he comes in.”
Coming out of the half, Wilson made his return and it didn’t take long for him to show his worth. In just under a minute and a half, the quarterback led a five play, 67-yard drive that resulted in a 28-yard touchdown catch and run from Dres Anderson, who had been quiet up until that point.
From there, Utah felt it was in control of the game, being up 20-10, and never looked back.
“That was great to come out fast and put points on the board,” Wilson said. “It really gave us the momentum for the second half. It was huge for us to take a lead and then get a stronger lead.”
The Anderson touchdown was the last time Utah would get it into the endzone, but Phillips did add some insurance field goals to make the score 26-10.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebackers Jared Norris and Gionni Paul took charge of a defense that forced four turnovers. Norris was in charge of shadowing Michigan’s quarterback Devin Gardner and came away with two sacks and two tackles for loss. Paul, meanwhile, finished with a game-high 14 tackles, as well as an interception and fumble recovery.
The other takeaways came from the safety spots, as captain Brian Blechen and free safety Tevin Carter recorded an interception each. Whittingham praised the defensive group, but acknowledged the tremendous improvement of the secondary from its last game, holding Michigan’s passing game in check the entire game.
“Pass defense was much improved,” Whittingham said. “Less than fifty percent completion, three picks and no touchdowns. So, that was great to see the pass defense step up.”
After the pick from Carter, the game was suspended due to heavy rain and lightning. There was talk that a possible outcome would be a cancelling of the game, but if it was up to Whittingham and the Utes, that wouldn’t have even be a discussion.
“We would not have wanted that,” Whittingham said. “We did not want to get out of here and not have a complete game. We were willing to stay as long as it took.”
After a two hour and 25 minute delay, play finally resumed, but not much happened after that. With more red than yellow in the remaining crowd, neither team was able to score again and Utah walked away with a much-needed road victory.
The Utes head back to Salt Lake City next week to take on Washington State at home in their first Pac-12 matchup of the season.
 
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