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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utes come away with an expected victory over Fresno State Saturday, beating the Bulldogs 45-24.
The game was not as hyped as their previous two games of the season, but a win is never a bad thing no matter who the opponent is, particularly when halfway to bowl eligibility three games into the season. Fresno State did its best to make it an interesting game late in the fourth quarter, but Utah was able to outlast the Bulldogs and leave with a victory.
The following are a few takeaways from Utah's win.
Devontae Booker is still really good
Booker may have had some pent up resentment against Fresno State for spurning him after his early commitment to the school. The senior running back could not be contained by the Bulldogs and was everywhere considering he was essentially Utah's offensive game plan. The Bulldogs knew he was coming, but there was no stopping him.
Booker finished the game with 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, including a 30-yard touchdown run for his biggest gain of the night. Booker added another 56 receiving yards, including a 43-yard catch, which set him up for a 7-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter.
With over 200 all-purpose yards, Booker reminded people what he can do on the field. Sure, it was against a weaker defense than in the first two weeks of play, but maybe he just needed some fine-tuning before breaking out again on the scene.
Special teams is back?
Utah was already up by 14 and the game didn't seem to be in question. But then Cory Butler-Byrd wanted everyone to know he was still planning on playing. Butler-Byrd dodged and escaped defenders and returned a kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown. It was the first touchdown return of the season for Utah and was an added bonus to the game at that point.
After holding the Bulldogs on the next series, Britain Covey didn't want to be outdone and returned a punt for a 77-yard touchdown. He was finally able to get to the outside and make the plays many around the state of Utah are used to as a former Timpview star.
There are still some questions surrounding the special teams unit, particularly in holding teams on kick returns. Utah gave up some big yards early on but managed to keep Fresno State down in the second half. It's improvement, but still a concern with Oregon coming up next week.
Vanilla offensive playcalling
With Oregon coming up in a week, Utah had no reason to give up the entire playbook at Fresno State. The gameplan: give it to Devontae Booker, let him do his thing, make the time go faster and escape with a win. And it worked because there really wasn't much in the way of offensive playcalling, nor did there need to be.
Expect Utah to be much more creative next week against Oregon, utilizing some things we haven't seen all season. And with their starting quarterback, Travis Wilson, likely back in the mix.
