Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
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CORVALLIS, Oregon — Week in and week out, Utah's defense and special teams have continued to play at an extremely high level.
Need a coffin-corner punt? Tom Hackett has you covered.
Need a big punt or kick return to spark some energy into the team? Kaelin Clay is your guy.
Say you need a game-winning field goal? Well, Andy Phillips has proven himself as close to automatic as one can get.
Even on defense, Nate Orchard and Hunter Dimick have teamed up to lead Utah as the top team in the country in sacks. Gionni Paul and Tevin Carter (when healthy) seem to have a sixth sense as to where the football will be for crucial interceptions.
But offensively? Utah has lacked that go-to guy. That is until now. On a night when both quarterbacks struggled to get into a rhythm in the passing game, the game plan was simplified to one thing — hand the football to Devontae Booker. And boy, did he ever impress, coming through in the clutch to help carry Utah to a thrilling 29-23 double-overtime win over Oregon State Thursday night.
Using the theme of the good, the bad and the ugly, here's a breakdown of the good, the OK (needs work) and the bad in the Utes' win over the Beavers:
Devontae Booker - Utah's workhorse running back finished with 229 yards on 32 carries and three touchdowns. Averaging 7.2 yards per carry, Booker put the Utes on his back, especially late in the game. His 53-yard scamper in the fourth quarter set up his own go-ahead 1-yard touchdown. He followed by scoring touchdowns on both overtime possessions for the Utes — the first from 15 yards and the second from 19 yards.
Run blocking - Even the best running backs depend on their offensive line, and Booker relied on the big boys up front to pave the way. Crucial run blocks sprung Booker free, but it wasn't just the offensive line getting into the action. The wide receivers also did a great job of blocking down the field for Booker.
Automatic Andy and the Special Forces Gang - Phillips was 3-for-3 on field goals, including a long of 46. Hackett punted the ball seven times and five of those downed inside the 20. Another one should have been, if not for an error by the punt coverage team.
Gionni Paul - Paul came up with his third interception of the season on Oregon State's first offensive play of the game. Paul's interception set up the first Phillips field goal.
#SackLakeCity, again - Utah's defense did it again, combining for five sacks and 10 total tackles for a loss. Nate Orchard led the way with two sacks, giving him 10.5 on the season.
Icing the kicker - Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham elected to ice Oregon State kicker Trevor Romaine toward the end of the first half. Whittingham burned two timeouts, the second of which was a split second before Romaine's first 45-yard attempt was no good. On his second try after the timeout, Romaine split the uprights to capitalize on a Kendal Thompson fumble, evening the score at 6.
Penalties - Utah was flagged six times for 66 yards in penalties, a few of which gave Oregon State free first downs.
Wide receiver drops - Unfortunately it is becoming a much bigger problem than anyone could have anticipated. For as good as the Ute wide receivers were through the first few weeks of the season, as of late they have been flat out bad. Drop after drop after drop caused the Ute coaching staff to switch quarterbacks, hoping to see increased production out of the offense. It didn't work. The drops continued. Wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield has his work cut out for him in trying to find a cure for his players recent struggles.
Third down woes - With just under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter Utah was 0-for-10 on third-down attempts. It wasn't until Booker broke off a 53-yard run in the fourth that the Utes converted on a third down. For as good as the defense and special teams played in this game, it should never have been as close as it was. A couple of first downs here and there probably would have been enough to put it away.
Turnovers - Utah quarterback Kendal Thompson threw an interception and later fumbled in the first half, leading Ute coaches to put Travis Wilson into the game at the start of the second half.
Robert Jackson is the cross platform sports and weather producer for ksl.com and KSL-TV. He has covered the Utes for KSL since 2008. You can catch him and co-host Brian Swinney Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. on the Ute Sports Report 1320 KFAN.
