Senior night in Rice Eccles Stadium had many ups and downs, as the Utes had a chance to tie the game up at the end of regulation, but came up just short as a Cole Becker field goal sailed right, allowing Iowa State to come away with the win, 31-28.
Despite the loss, the seniors were honored for the hard work and dedication they have given to the program over their time as Utes.
Head Coach Kyle Whittingham said he was “very proud of what [the seniors] have been able to accomplish … They deserved better this season; they deserved better tonight.”
Recap
The Utes were the first to hit the scoreboard, after their first drive of the game found them 34 yards out of the end zone at fourth down. Becker kicked the field goal home, putting the Utes ahead of the Cyclones by three.
Iowa State turned right around on the next drive, finding themselves in a similar spot as the Utes. The Cyclones attempted a field goal, 37 yards out, which was subsequently blocked by Caleb Lohner. A holding call on the Utes’ Junior Tafuna turned the play into a first down, and before long Iowa State had their first touchdown in Utah territory, stepping ahead of their hosts.
Down after the first quarter, Utah came back in the second with a play fans have been waiting for all season — a short pass from the Iowa State quarterback was intercepted by Lander Barton, who ran the ball a quick 87 yards down the line for a touchdown to make it 10-7. Barton’s interception return marked the 21st consecutive season with a pick-six for the Utes which is the longest active streak in FBS.
“It was fun at the time, just didn’t want to go down,” Barton said about the play. “Overall, just wanted to get a W tonight.”
Unfortunately the high didn’t last long, as the Cyclones completed a deep pass down the field to push the team all the way to the Utah eight yard line. An all too easy rush handed Iowa State their second touchdown of the night, shoving past the Utes again at 10-14.
Utah continued to stay on the Cyclones’ heels, despite a few Isaac Wilson passes giving the Utes negative yardage. After a failed third down at the 47 yard line, Utah opted for the field goal, which Becker completed to put the Utes at 13.
Another Iowa State field goal later, Utah couldn’t seem to catch up by the end of the first half. The situation felt even more dire after the Utes fumbled the ball just a short 23 yards out, which the Cyclones were quick to capitalize on, finding another touchdown to widen the gap to 13-24.
The fourth quarter began in a less than elegant fashion, but a positive one nonetheless for Utah. A blocked Iowa State punt sent the ball tumbling into the endzone, as both sides grappled for it on the ground. David Washington recovered it for the Utes, rendering it a touchdown for Utah. Luke Bottari helped complete the two-point conversion, helping the Utes catch up at 21-24.
Down to the last few minutes, Bottari executed a 40-yard rush, bringing the Utes right back into the Red Zone. A quick Micah Bernard rush found the endzone, soaring past Iowa State at 28-24.
With less than two minutes to go, fans looked on as the Utes repeated a fatal mistake that has plagued the team all season. Unable to make the final stop against the Cyclones, Iowa State sashayed right back into the Utah endzone, sneaking ahead at 28-31. A 54 yard field goal opportunity in the final seconds of the match offered hope for Ute fans, but regrettably Becker could not complete it.
Analysis
Wilson led the Utes in passing with 74 yards on 8/8 passing before he was sidelined to an injury, allowing Bottari to take over at quarterback. Bottari was excellent in his short time, completing 5/9 passes for 55 yards and rushing four times for 47 yards to help keep the Utes in this game down the stretch.
Bernard had a tough time getting anything going on the group but was able to find the endzone in the fourth quarter as he rushed for 42 yards on 17 carries in his final game at Rice Eccles Stadium.
Daidren Zipper was the leading receiver on the night for Utah, coming down with 4 catches for 66 yards with a long of 46.
With the loss tonight, Utah is officially ineligible to make a bowl game but will head to UCF next week for their final regular season at 6:00 p.m. MST.
