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SALT LAKE CITY — When Utah’s punt was blocked on its 3-yard line with 8:20 left in the game, the Ducks thought the game was finally on their side.
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert threw a touchdown and completed a 2-point conversion that sent the Ducks ahead of the Utes 25-22. Then Oregon went for a tailspin.
The Ducks were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct on the ensuing kickoff, giving Utah an extra 15 yards to start its drive on the 40-yard line.
“We got a senseless penalty,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said. “I was extremely upset about that because that gave them the ball at the 40-yard line. Fifteen yards is 15 yards, it’s a big chunk of play.”
Oregon's defense then allowed the Utes to move the ball 60 yards in five plays on the ensuing drive for a touchdown. The score would be enough to beat the Ducks in the end.
“I thought both teams played their tails off,” Cristobal said. “It came down to the fourth quarter and they got it done. Credit to them.”
With momentum, redshirt freshman quarterback Jason Shelley — who started in place of injured Tyler Huntley — rallied the Utes with three-straight passes of 11, 36 and 13 yards to move the chains to the Oregon 5-yard line.
Shelley’s 36-yard pass to receiver Jaylen Dixon was his second-longest of the night — his longest went to tight end Cole Fotheringham for 40 yards — but it came at a crucial point in the game when the Utes needed to score. The deep throw helped set up Shelley's second rushing touchdown of the game to put Utah up 29-25 with 6:38 left.
“We knew when (Dixon) got in the slot they were going to take a shot to him. That’s their deep threat,” Oregon cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. said. “They did and they succeeded. That was the key there.”
“When Oregon got the block, we figured they would score. We were due for a good drive,” Shelley said.
That they did.
