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TEMPE, Arizona — The sleep-walking Utes awakened in the second quarter to begin what would be a demolition in the desert.
No. 15 Utah (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) beat Arizona State (5-5, 2-5) 49-26 at Sun Devil Stadium Thursday night, though it didn’t come without worry. It was the first time the Utes won in Tempe since 1976.
The Utes struggled, to say the least, in the first quarter. They lost fumbles on their first two drives — one on a bad snap and the other on an option toss that bounced off running back Joe Williams’ hands.
Following their first turnover, safety Marcus Williams, who was in his first game back from injury, stopped Arizona State from capitalizing on Utah’s mistake with an interception in the end zone. The Utes couldn’t take advantage as they lost the ball again with the failed option pass, setting up an Arizona State field goal.
The Sun Devils continued to score, putting up 10 more points in the quarter. By the end of the first, Arizona State led Utah 13-0. Utah fans were left frustrated, knowing the Utes control their destiny of becoming Pac-12 South division champions. Their team repeatedly made poor decisions and couldn’t connect with each other. It had an entire week off with a bye, yet somehow the team seemed to melt in the desert.
Then it clicked.
Quarterback Troy Williams led the Utes to a 14-13 lead within five minutes of the second quarter. Williams connected with receivers Raelon Singleton for 64 yards and Siaosi Wilson for 27 yards. Williams also threw another touchdown pass to Singleton for 17 yards late in the first half. By the end of the quarter, Utah was up 21-20 and fans were joyous.
Against the league’s best rush defense, Utah planned to throw more than run. But the Sun Devils couldn’t shut out running back Joe Williams. He broke free for an 82-yard run to tack on seven more points for Utah early in the third quarter. He finished with 193 total yards and two touchdowns, averaging 12.1 yards per carry.
Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins found receiver Tim White for a 12-yard touchdown to finish the third quarter. The Sun Devils tried to tie the score at 28, but their two-point conversion failed thanks to the Utes’ defense, which constantly pressured the quarterback.
Although the defense gave up big plays, Sack Lake City was alive and well. Defensive end Hunter Dimick recorded five of the team’s 11 sacks, a single-game record. Utah also finished with 22 tackles for loss.
The Utes scored three more touchdowns while shutting out the Sun Devils in the fourth quarter. Troy Williams found Singleton once more, safety Chase Hansen intercepted Wilkins for 34 yards and Joe Williams ran 40 yards for a touchdown to seal a divisional win.
With Thursday night’s win, Utah moved into a tie with No. 20 USC (6-3, 5-2) for second place in the Pac-12 South. The Utes need to win their last two games — a home date with Oregon (3-6, 1-5) and a visit to No. 12 Colorado (7-2, 5-1) — to win the division.
