Heading into the much-hyped contest with No. 13 Oregon, Utah would have been considered by most a one-in-a-million shot to walk into Autzen Stadium and hand the Ducks their worst home loss in 30 years.
Yet, there really is a first for everything, and the Utes broke out a lot of firsts on Saturday night. Utah’s offense was full of surprises against the Ducks — decoy plays were executed by Britain Covey, Devontae Booker was throwing touchdown passes and even punter Tom Hackett made a highlight one-handed snag for a 33-yard rush on a fake punt for a first down.
“It was amazing,” quarterback Travis Wilson said of the offense. “It was great for this offense to put that many points on a team like Oregon. It’s unheard of.”
The 62-20 point blowout against the Ducks really was a little unexpected, for both teams. Oregon was trying to keep its playoff hopes alive and is in desperate need of some wins, while Utah was looking to make a statement for some national recognition.
The Utes stopped at nothing to see that they did exactly that.
Throughout the start of the Utes’ now 4-0 season, Utah had been saving a good portion of its playbook, as there had been continuous mentions from Utah’s coaching staff that they wanted to incorporate their wide receivers more on offense to make sure versatile plays were being made. No one knew for sure how the Utes would switch things up, but not many would have predicted that true freshman Caleb Repp would have been a difference-maker heading in.
But Repp continued the unexpected with his breakout performance, which seems to have made an impression on his head coach.
“True freshman, steppin’ in, making the play when it was there to be made, how about that” Whittingham said. “When you come to a venue like this, and a stage like this and make those kind of plays, it’s very encouraging.”
Repp stepped into Autzen Stadium and executed like a veteran, scoring two touchdowns — the first of his college career. Whittingham felt that Repp wasn’t really pinned by Oregon’s defense, which made him a valuable contributor and a secret weapon on Utah’s offense.
“I just started by going in there and doing what they told me to do,” Repp said. “That was unbelievable. It was like a high, something I’ve never felt before.”
Repp’s teammates were stoked about his performance, but the group is also proud of themselves as a whole. They are going home with a victory over an elite program in Oregon, and some unexpected Utes are having fun while doing it.
@laurenrose324