The Triple Option: Utes take care of business in rout over Oregon State


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

CORVALLIS, Oregon — Saturday’s game wasn’t even close, and No. 15 Utah made sure to leave no doubts after a bye week that it was making a run for a second-consecutive Pac-12 championship appearance.

The end result: a 52-7 win on the road against the Oregon State Beavers. And while the Beavers have an improved offense from years past, Utah made sure it didn’t have an impact against them in a lopsided tilt.

The following are a few takeaways from Utah’s win Saturday night.

Zack Moss is back and still unstoppable

After missing a week of play due to a shoulder injury, Moss showed why he’s one of the best running backs in the Pac-12. In just five touches on the night, Moss totalled 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 91-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter to give the Utes an early 14-0 lead.

The touchdown run is the longest rushing touchdown against the Beavers in program history and the third longest in Utah school history. Most importantly, it brought Moss within 55 yards of breaking the all-time career rushing record at Utah.

Moss is still not 100% physically, but there’s no doubt he can exploit opposing defenses and make them pay. Sure, the Beavers have a lackluster run defense, but Moss is arguably the most talented running back to ever dress up in a Utah uniform. He’ll have the opportunity to make that statement next week in what could be a season-defining game.

Jaylon Johnson won the matchup

It’s hard to pin an entire defensive performance on one player, but cornerback Jaylon Johnson is arguably one of the biggest reasons why Oregon State was not able to put points on the board against Utah’s starters. Johnson was used in star coverage to combat the impressive Isaiah Hodgins.

The Oregon State wideout finished with 77 yards on eight catches, but had a relatively quiet night with Johnson lining up against him for the duration of the night. One play in particular, a pass breakup in the first quarter, showed the dominant ability Johnson had against Hodgins.

With his back against the pass, Johnson perfectly timed the ball and broke up a pass in coverage to keep Hodgins from picking up a big gain and giving the Beavers a shot at the end zone.

To add fuel to the fire, the defense mixed up its blitz packages and put pressure on Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton. The quarterback finished with only 131 passing yards and one interception, a pick six for 64 yards by Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd, on 17-of-34 passing.

It was just that kind of night for the Utah defense, who gave Oregon State little room to work with.

Road to the South

The Oregon State game had little bearing on the overall season success for Utah other than snagging a win and getting closer to bowl eligibility, but it showed that Utah isn’t taking any opponent lightly. Against the Beavers, Utah could have taken its foot off the gas pedal and cruised to a comfortable 35-0 win — basically wear out the clock after the halftime break.

But Utah wasn’t content on the score and beat up on an opponent by adding an additional 17 points in the second half. Call it style points or whatever you want, but Utah showed it has the offense and defense to combat any program in the conference. Beating up the Beavers as bad as they did only goes to show the diversity Utah has on its roster.

Offensively, Utah isn’t limited to one receiver or running back, but they have a myriad of offensive weapons that can have an impact on the game. On defense, the backups can step in and provide consistency without losing too much production. All in all, Utah is a loaded team and has the depth to challenge for a back-to-back South Division title.

Most recent Utah Utes stories

Related topics

Utah UtesSports
Josh is the Sports Director for KSL.com and beat writer covering University of Utah athletics — primarily football, men’s and women's basketball and gymnastics. He is also an Associated Press Top 25 voter for college football.

ARE YOU GAME?

From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast