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PROVO — To say that Gage Cuthbertson was excited about Murray's biggest win in 21 years is an understatement.
The junior Spartan was so amped up that his team had to call a timeout at the end of the first half so he could settle down, catch his breath and kick a point-after touchdown.
Scoring 11 of the Spartans' first 17 points — and 15 of their 26 on the evening — will do that.
Cuthbertson had two interceptions, including one returned 99 yards for a touchdown, and converted two field goals to help the Spartans stun host Provo 26-17 in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament Friday afternoon.
"My lineman was right next to me, running faster than I've ever seen him go. I was so proud to see that," said Cuthbertson, recalling his first half-ending pick-six with no time on the clock that gave the Spartans a 17-7 lead over the Bulldogs. "I couldn't breath by the end zone, but I was so happy.
"They called timeout so I could catch my breath before I kicked it. But I couldn't feel my legs."
Cuthbertson did all the scoring in the first quarter through his 25-yard field goal with 4 minutes, 25 seconds left on the clock, and the Spartans jumped out early in what would be their first playoff win in 19 years.
Drew Cash completed 24-of-24 passes for 230 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Spartans, who advanced to face the winner of Springville and Box Elder in the 4A quarterfinals.
Provo quarterback Viliami Iongi completed 18-of-38 passes for 269 yards and two scores — but the Spartans (7-4) also picked him off twice, including Cuthbertson's pick-six. Iongi completed just 5-of-22 passes in the first half of the Bulldogs' first 4A playoff game since 2009.
"Our coach is big on stats, so he looked up Provo and saw they are a 75 percent passing team," Cuthbertson said. "Our practices up to this point were all pass; we didn't focus on the run. That whole first half, all they did was pass and it helped us a lot."
But the Bulldogs (8-3) didn't go quietly after falling behind 3-0. Iongi found Utah commit Ty Jones for a 71-yard touchdown strike with 5:23 on the clock in the second quarter to give the hosts a 7-3 lead. The Spartans made the Bulldogs punt on the first three drives, then forced an interception with 6:46 remaining in the second to pitch the shutout.
Then Cash really came alive. The senior who battled injuries for half the season hooked up with Tino Jurisic to give the Spartans a 10-7 lead with 1:47 left in the half, and they would never fully relinquish the advantage.
Still, it didn't look that way as Iongi led the Bulldogs on an efficient final drive of the first half before Cuthbertson stepped in front of a pass intended for Jones at the goal line and ran it back the length of the field for the score.
"He's the heart and soul of our football team," Murray coach Mike Richmond said of Cuthbertson. "He's a junior, and he's a phenomenal player. Provo has some amazing talent; their skill players are the best we've seen all year, and we challenged our guys. We made (Cuthbertson) lock up against Ty Jones, who has got to be the best receiver in the state. He's a heck of a player, and we got the best of it tonight."
Provo led a late drive, scoring the only points of the third-quarter on a five-minute, 80-yard drive that ended on Iongi's 7-yard pass to Tevita Ika with 5:50 left on the clock to pull within three, 17-14. Braiden Lovell then tied the game at 17-17 with a 22-yard field goal to open the fourth quarter.
But the Murray defense took over after that. The Spartans recovered a muffed punt at Provo's 2-yard line with 6:03 left in the game, and Hunter Jones punched it in two plays later to go up 23-17 despite a blocked PAT.
Cuthbertson added a 29-yard field goal on the Spartans' next possession for an insurance policy to give Murray its first seven-win season since 1994.
"Coach Richmond has always been there for me, since I was in fourth grade," Murray defensive lineman Maxs Tupai said. "He's been coaching me since I was really little. This is no different than Little League; I'm just glad we could be a part of history and change that for Murray High School."
Jones ran the ball 19 times for 46 yards and a touchdown, and he only went down in the backfield twice. Isaiah Gibson caught five passes for 97 yards for the Spartans, and Jurisic finished with 40 yards receiving to go along with his touchdown.
Ika led Provo with 128 yards and a touchdown on nine catches, including four first-down grabs. Jones added 108 yards and a score on four catches, and Daniel Kelley ran the ball 10 times for 85 yards to pace the Bulldogs' ground game.
"We've been the underdog all year; that's been Murray football," Richmond said. "We haven't had respect in a long time, and we play with a bit of a chip on our shoulder. We challenged our guys to play well on the road; we've got five wins on the road this year, and our guys weren't afraid to come out."
"Hat's off to (Provo coach Tony) McGeary; he's turned the program around, and they've got a lot of good football ahead of them in the future."
