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SALT LAKE CITY — After Utah punter Tom Hackett pinned the Cal Bears deep in their own territory, the Utah defense went to work, coming up with a key play that turned the momentum in the Utes' favor for good.
On second-and-14 with Utah leading 7-3, Cal quarterback Zach Maynard completed a pass to Chris Harper. But Utah linebacker Jason Whittingham delivered a hit to Harper that jarred the ball loose, where cornerback Reggie Topps was able to scoop it up and carry it 17 yards into the end zone to put the Utes ahead 14-3.
It was the first of three turnovers that Utah forced over the course of the game, the most in a game this season.
"The defense did a nice job creating takeaways," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We haven't done that this year, so it was good to see that happen."
"Give them credit," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "They knocked the ball loose and scooped it and scored."
It was Utah's fourth touchdown off a fumble recovery this season, and Topps' second of his career. His first came in a 2010 contest against San Jose State, where he picked up a botched punt and returned it for six.
Topps' defensive touchdown ignited a Utah rally, as the Utes went on to score 28 of the next 31 points. Cal put together a few scores late in the game, but not enough to overcome a 49-27 Utah victory.
The Utes had several other key plays during the game that continued the flow of momentum in their favor, two of them coming from receiver and kick return specialist Reggie Dunn. Dunn had two 100-yard kickoff returns that he took to the house, becoming just the 16th player in NCAA history to record two touchdowns on kick returns in a game.
"It felt really good," Dunn said of scoring the touchdowns. "A lot of credit goes to the special teams coordinator and the kickoff return unit."
Dunn's second return occurred early in the fourth quarter to all but seal the game for the Utes, putting them ahead 49-13.
"Reggie Dunn had a huge impact on the game with his two kickoff returns for touchdowns," Whittingham said. "The second one I think was the back breaker."
The Utes will need to continue to generate big plays like they did in their victory over Cal to keep their bowl hopes alive.
"We're taking it one game at a time," Whittingham said. "Right now all of our focus will be on … who do we play next, Washington State? Washington State."
