SALT LAKE CITY — The Utes got their first win against a Top 5 team at home last week against Stanford, and the future of the program looked bright, even with a difficult schedule looming ahead. However, Utah squandered their newfound spotlight after falling to Arizona in a game that was winnable.

While it's difficult to put a lot of stock into one game, it's the only way to measure a football program. Last week, one game turned around a season that appeared to be on the path to miss the postseason for the second year in a row. Now, Utah is back in that former discussion, and many fear the win against Stanford was just a fluke.

Now before fans give up on the team, the claims are credible and possibly true, but Utah is still a good team. However, that does not excuse the all around problems present in Saturday's game against Arizona. Saturday's game shows that Utah isn't ready for the spotlight; instead, Utah is better equipped with the underdog mentality.

"In this conference, you can't come out and not be ready to play," head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We weren't ready to play in the first half. In the second half, we came out with some fire, did some good things. We fought our way back in the game and took the lead. But my final analysis of the game — we didn't make enough plays to win the game."

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The University of Utah traveled to Arizona for their first game out of the state this season, and it wasn't pretty. The Utes were outmatched from the beginning to the end, losing 35-24.

One of those plays that Utah couldn't make was a field goal attempt in the final minutes of the game on fourth and 2. Utah was down 4 and needed a touchdown to win the game, but elected to attempt a 40-yard field goal. Had Utah made the field goal, they still would have needed a recovered onside kick or a big defensive stop and another score — both would be difficult.

In this instance, especially on the road, you have to play to win the game. Playing conservative in the final minutes of the game when down is no way to play. And Arizona made Utah pay for choosing to attempt a field goal.

Sure, Ka'Deem Carey will still probably score that final touchdown, but that type of loss would seem more respectable than the conservative play calling at the end of the game.

And while the final minutes of play were less than spectacular for Utah, it was their flat play at the beginning of the game that really set the tone for the game. Both the offense and defense were lethargic and slow. Travis Wilson's interception returned for a touchdown was just a way of gift wrapping the game for the Wildcats.

"It's not very often that we came out flat," Whittingham said. "We came out flat last year against Arizona State. We came out flat the year before against Cal Berkeley. So there are two or three games the last few years I can recall having this same feeling."

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"It was ours for the taking when we came down here," Trevor Reilly said. "I think we matched up pretty well personnel-wise."

Although Wilson did not play well in the first half, his hand injury is concerning, and was a major factor in his ability to throw the ball. Wilson left the game just before the half and never returned. His status is currently unknown.

"He wasn't able to finish the game," Whittingham said. "Right now there's a lot of unknowns and we'll just have to see how he progresses next week."

Adam Schulz stepped in and performed well for a quarterback thrown into the mix, but it took a muffed punt return by Arizona and a flea flicker for Utah to get some points on the board.

"Coach says when someone goes down you've got to pick up the rifle," Schulz said. "That's all that was going through my head really — just make plays, help the team win."

Schulz can sling the ball, as was evident on the 55-yard touchdown pass to Fitzgerald, but tossing the ball doesn't cure all on offense. Schulz has been with the program for a while and can lead the team if Wilson is out for an extended period, but he's got to learn how to be a game manager, how to recognize the defense and recognize the blitz packages the opponent will bring.

"As an offense, we have all the trust in the world in Adam. He's a great player and we all know what he can do and what he's capable of," wide receiver Sean Fitzgerald said. "REally there wasn't a second thought about ‘Oh no, what do we do now?' It's like ‘let's just move forward' and I'm proud of him. He played a good game. He fought hard and if he needs to go next week then that's great. We'll be ready to go and he'll be ready, too."

If Utah wants the spotlight back, they have to be ready to play each week. There can be no more playing from behind and trying to win at the end. Everyone will forget about the game against Arizona if Utah goes into USC and gets a good win.

"We have to be able to play on the road," Whittingham said. "To be a quality football team, you have to win on the road. We can't just win at home and not come through on the road."

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