Utah was hanging around late in the fourth quarter, but the defense could only carry the load for so long, and Texas Tech ran away with the win.
A squandered opportunity leaves coaches, players and fans disappointed, and if the Utes still have their sights set on a college football playoff berth, they will have to be nearly perfect down the road.
“I never would have believed you if you said we would lose the line of scrimmage. Never would’ve believed that in a million years, and well, we did. Defense played lights out for three and a half quarters, and then it went from 13-34 in the blink of an eye. That can’t happen,” Kyle Whittingham, Utah football head coach, said.
The main question leading up to the game was which team would win in the trenches. Utah’s top-rated offensive line knew it would be tested against Texas Tech’s strong front seven. Unfortunately for the Utes, Tech dominated this matchup.
Turnovers prove costly
One of Whittingham’s main goals going into this game was winning the turnover battle. While the defense came up with two crucial interceptions, it wasn’t enough. Two fumbles and two interceptions accounted for a handful of costly miscues that the Red Raiders capitalized on in a big way.
Turnovers weren’t the only mistakes that came back to bite Utah, either. An early possession ending on downs, paired with an ineligible man downfield, which revoked a touchdown, proved to haunt Utah late.
“We didn’t do anything to help our own cause, particularly on offense. The first quarter was a disaster. Two turnovers with the fumbles, another turnover on downs. Fourth and one, you’ve got to convert that. A touchdown was called back because of a penalty. So, we really didn’t get into a rhythm on offense, essentially the whole morning,” Whittingham said.
Utah’s offense came into this game averaging 517 offensive yards per game. Texas Tech nearly cut that number in half, holding the Utes to 263 total yards. One main source of yardage for Jason Beck’s offense this year came on the ground. Despite averaging 290 rushing yards per game through three weeks, Utah struggled to break the century mark today, ending with 101.
Offense struggles to find rhythm
When asked about the offense’s struggles, quarterback Devon Dampier kept it short and simple. “I think we just didn’t execute too well today,” Dampier said. “We knew they were a good defense coming in, and I thought they very much played like it. They’re just a well-coached team, and they definitely came out on top today. Hopefully, we’ll see them again later.”
Does it feel like the sky is falling? Maybe. Is this the demise of Utah’s 2025 season? Absolutely not. Texas Tech is a terrific football team. While it’s uncommon to see an opposing team walk into Rice-Eccles Stadium and leave with a win, it happens.
Football seasons are long, and the Utes still have eight games to prove themselves. In a highly competitive conference like the Big 12, teams will beat up on each other every week, and Utah will have a chance to make it to Dallas for the conference championship game. For now, Utah will have a target on West Virginia.
“We’ve got to regroup. We have a tough road trip to West Virginia, who is playing well. Rich Rodriguez is a great football coach, and they’ll be ready for us, there’s no doubt about that,” Whittingham said.
Take a deep breath and enjoy some other games this weekend. A football season is a long journey, and right now, we as Ute fans are hiking up the mountain. Stick with it, because before you know it, you could be sliding down on the other side.
