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TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Ka'Deem Carey atoned for a rare fumble the only way he knows how.
He just kept running.
The prolific junior rushed for 236 yards in a school record 40 carries, capping off his night with a 44-yard touchdown run with 1:30 to play to seal Arizona's 35-24 victory over Utah Saturday.
It was over whenKa'Deem Carey took a 44-yard run to the house. The Wildcats were looking to run out the clock after the Utes missed a field goal. Arizona kept it on the ground and Carey finished the night with 236 yards on 40 carries. Player of the Game
Carey gets the game ball for the game overall, but for the Utes Trevor Reilly was a monster. Reilly ended the night with 12 tackles, three for a loss, two sacks and a recovered fumble. Only three tackles were made beyond three yards. He got penetration and made plays all night. Stat of the Game: 300
The Utes gave up 300 yards on the ground. Carey had 236 and quarterback B.J. Denker added 51 and two touchdowns. A stalwart defense that held Stanford to 176 yard rushing was gashed against Arizona.
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"After that fumble, I felt I let my team down," Carey said, "so when I got the ball and saw the crease, I said, 'man, I got your back, team.'"
B.J. Denker ran for two touchdowns and passed for another for the Wildcats (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) in their first conference victory of the season.
Utah (4-3, 1-3), coming off its stunning upset of then-No. 5 Stanford, lost quarterback Travis Wilson with an injury to his right hand late in the first half.
Backup Adam Schulz threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Sean Fitzgerald to put Utah up 21-20 early in the third quarter after Arizona led 20-7 at the half.
Carey, the nation's leading rusher last season, amassed the second-most yardage of his career, exceeded only by his Pac-12 record 366 against Colorado last season. His pervious second-best yardage was 206 against Utah last year.
"Ka'Deem Carey really took it to us again in the second half," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "He was really one player against us that made a difference in this game."
Moments before his late TD run, Carey had fumbled for the first time this season, giving Utah, down just 28-24, the ball at the Arizona 39. But the Utes stalled at the 23 and Andy Phillips' 40-yard field goal was wide left. Phillips, 11 for 11 on field goals this season entering the game, also missed a 42-yarder. He made one from 44 yards.
After the last miss, Carey took the ball repeatedly as the Wildcats moved downfield, then burst through for the long run that clinched the victory.
"I was yelling at him to get down, but I'm sure he didn't hear me or didn't care," Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez said. "I knew he was going to run hard after the fumble. He is just a great football player. If he makes a mistake, it is uncharacteristic, and he will run harder."
Utah didn't build on the momentum of last week's 27-21 home victory over Stanford.
"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."
Down 20-7 at halftime, Utah scored 14 points in a span of 91 seconds to take the lead.
Arizona's Johnny Jackson muffed a punt and the Utes' Chase Dominguez recovered at the Wildcats' 17. Schulz threw 16 yards to Dres Anderson, then Kelvin York scored on a one-yard run to cut the lead to 20-14.
After the kickoff, the Wildcats drove the ball to midfield, then went for it on fourth-and-two from the Utah 46, and Carey was stopped a yard shy of the first down. On the next play, Schulz threw deep to a wide open Fitzgerald for a 55-yard touchdown and the PAT put the Utes up 21-20 with 9:08 left in the third quarter.
It was Utah's first and only lead of the game.
Arizona went back ahead early in the fourth quarter. Nate Phillips made a tough catch of Denker's 36-yard pass to the 9-yard line. On third-and-goal from the 7, Denker rolled to his left and drilled a pass to Phillips in the end zone. Denker ran for the two-point conversion and the Wildcats were back on top, 28-21, with 13:32 remaining.
Phillips' 44-yard field goal cut it to 28-24 with 7:11 left.
Carey started his night much the way he ended it.
On Arizona's first play of the night, the junior running back burst through for a 30-yard gain. Seven plays later, Denker scored on a 10-yard run and the Wildcats were up 7-0.
The Utes took the subsequent kickoff and tied it with an eight-play, 71-yard drive. Luckey Radley had runs of 17 and 37 yards and, on third and goal, Wilson threw two yards to Nate Orchard for the touchdown to tie it at 7-7.
Arizona responded with a 17-play drive but on fourth-and-one at the Utah 2-yard line, Denker was sacked by Trevor Reilly.
That only temporarily derailed the Wildcats.
With Utah pinned at its 10 in a third-and-nine situation, Wilson's pass over the middle was picked off by Marquis Flowers, who ran untouched 14 yards to the end zone and Arizona led 14-7 less than a minute into the second quarter.
Carey's running and Denker's passing led Arizona on a 13-play, 72-yard touchdown drive later in the quarter. Denker scored from the 1-yard line, the PAT attempt was blocked and the Wildcats were up 20-7.
Wilson left late in the first half and was on the sidelines in the second half with the thumb on his throwing hand taped.
Schulz had thrown only five passes this season before Saturday night.
