CORVALLIS, Ore. — Horrendous weather conditions, fumbles and another week of stalling in the red zone weren't enough to stop the Utes in Corvallis as they escaped with a win over the Oregon State Beavers and former Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen, 19-14.

Here are my instant observations from the Utes’ victory.

Joe Williams returns in style

Joe Williams had perhaps the shortest retirement of any athlete in college football history. Coming back after just 27 days on the sidelines, Williams rushed for 179 yards on 34 carries, the largest total in either category for the Utes this season.

Williams looked fresh as a daisy, to use assistant head coach Dennis Erickson’s words, running hard and showing good vision, at least in the first half. Utah’s inability to throw started to clog up running lanes, but Williams’ performance was paramount to Utah’s victory.

Williams’ performance makes one wonder who will get the start for the Utes next week against UCLA. Zack Moss is projected to return, but a healthy, happy and aggressive Joe Williams is going to be tough to supplant.

Mistakes, lack of adjustments

It’s beginning to sound like a broken record, but penalties on both sides of the ball hurt Utah in critical moments. Brian Allen intercepted an Oregon State pass in the end zone to stop the driving Beavers. Everything looked great, except for the last-second push off from Allen that led to a pass interference penalty and gave Oregon State the ball back, with first and goal to go. Ultimately, Oregon State didn’t score, but a touchdown would’ve been devastating at that point in the game.

Raelon Singleton got called for holding on a Troy Williams touchdown run. Williams scored two plays later, but the hold was unnecessary, as Williams would’ve probably scored without it.

Williams, for his part fumbled twice, once while the Utes were driving and once in the red zone when he mishandled the snap on fourth and one.

After a successful first half on both sides of the ball, Utah looked incredibly inept in the second half. Oregon State racked up 225 yards of offense after gaining just 55 in the first half. Utah didn’t seem to adjust well to Oregon State’s fly sweeps and perimeter runs, as the Beavers scored on their first series. The Utes' defense didn’t break in the second half, but it bent enough to give the fans some concern.

Utah’s offense, for its part, looked completely out of sync. Granted, the weather was bad, but the lack of a throw-game for the Utes did not help Utah move the ball whatsoever.

Injuries continue

The Utes are extraordinarily snake-bitten as far as health is concerned. After Kyle Whittingham had said that he’d never quite seen anything like the injuries sustained by the Utes in his weekly press conference Monday, the problems continued. Safety Marcus Williams, perhaps the Utes’ best defensive player, went out in the first half and spent the second half on the sideline in street clothes, with a brace on his leg. Linebacker Sunia Tauteoli was carted off the field late as well, problematic for a defense already struggling at the linebacker position.

The Utes should get Zack Moss and Tim Patrick back next week against UCLA, but the status of Marcus Williams and Tauteoli looks questionable, at least for now. For Utah to be successful next week against the Bruins in what should be a crucial game to determine the Pac-12 South, getting a few of the key guys back would be a huge boost of confidence.

Stephen Lindsey is a student at the University of Utah currently working as an intern with KSL.com in Salt Lake City. Contact him at th3sl3@gmail.com or interact via his Twitter handle, @slthe3

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