GAME BLOG: Utah 63, San Diego State 14

Final- Utah 63, SDSU 14

Brian Johnson threw for 5 touchdowns in the first half as the 7th ranked Utes defeated San Diego State 63-14. Utah rolled up 520 yards on offense (322 pass, 198 rush). The Utes had the ball for 7 more minutes than the Aztecs. The Utes' defense held the Aztecs to 320 yards (73 rush, 247 pass).

In a game that was never close, the Utes clinched at least a share of the MWC title for the first time since 2004. They will face BYU in the Holy War next Saturday for a chance to win the title outright.

Brian Johnson finished his day early in the 4th quarter after throwing for 283 yards. Matt Asiata rushed for 14 times, gaining 83 yards.

San Diego State QB Ryan Lindley went 23-41 for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns, but had 2 forth quarter interceptions by DeShawn Richard returned for touchdowns.

Next up for the Utes: BYU (Nov. 22)
Next up for the Aztecs: UNLV (Nov. 22)

4:43 4th Quarter
Utah 63, San Diego State 14
San Diego State QB Ryan Lindley led the Aztecs all the way down to the Utah 33 yard line, but was intercepted on his next pass by Brandon Burton. However, Burton was called for a pass interference, giving the ball back to the Aztecs. Three plays later, Lindley's pass was batted up in the air and intercepted by DeShawn Richard who returned it 89 yards for the touchdown.

After San Diego State got the ball back on their own 20 following the kickoff, Lindley throws another pass that is tipped up in the air and again intercepted by DeShawn Richard, who this time only has to return it for 38 yards for his second touchdown.

9:00 4th Quarter
Utah 49, San Diego State 14
Utah's defense holds the Aztecs to a 3 and out on their next possession. It appeared that they might get a first down on 3rd and 6, but Henderson ran out of bounds before he reached the first down marker.

After the punt, Utah brings in RB Ray Stowers and QB Corbin Louks. Stowers runs for 21 yards on his first carry of the night. 3 plays later, Louks fakes a sweep on the right side, but ends up throwing a deep 39 yard strike to David Reed who made a great play on the ball to catch it over T.J. McKay. On the next play, Stowers takes it in from 1 yard out to extend the Utah lead to 35.

12:42 4th Quarter
Utah 42, San Diego State 14
Utah QB Brian Johnson finds his new favorite target, Freddie Brown, for a gain of 10 and another 3rd down conversion. On the next play, Matt Asiata takes the pitch to the left for 14 yards down inside the 5 yard line. 2 plays later, Asiata takes the direct snap in for the first Utah rushing TD of the day.

End of 3rd Quarter
Utah 35, San Diego State 14
Matt Asiata takes the handoff from Brian Johnson and runs off the right side for 24 yards to give the Utes the ball near midfield. Great power running by Asiata. The drive has been all Asiata so far, as he has moved the Utes singlehandedly down to the Aztec 31 yard line on 5 carries.

3:14 3rd Quarter
Utah 35, San Diego State 14
San Diego State's offense is finally able to find a rhythm as they have put 5 first downs together to get down into Utah territory. Ryan Lindley is doing a good job of spreading out the receivers and then finding the gaps in the coverage to continue to move the chains. Facing a 3rd and 5 on the Utes 18 yard line, Lindley found RB Atiyyah Henderson on the left flat route for a 6 yard gain. The Aztecs have had the ball for over 6 minutes, giving their defense much needed rest. The Aztecs get the ball into the end zone on a 16 yard pass from Lindley to Justin Shaw. The drive does 95 yards in 17 plays, taking 7:07 off the clock.

10:21 3rd Quarter
Utah 35, San Diego State 7
David Reed takes the kickoff 29 yards to give the Utes the ball on their own 33. On 2nd down, Johnson finds Brent Casteel for 17 yards on the left sideline. Good job of continuing to attack the defense. Facing a third and 9, Johnson scrambles on the right side for a gain of 11. Utah is now a perfect 9-9 on 3rd down conversions. On the next set of plays, facing a 3rd and 2, Johnson finds Freddie Brown for a gain of 14, extending their streak to 10 for 10 on 3rd downs. After the Utes marched down into the red zone, the streak finally comes to an end as Johnson hits Freddie Brown for a gain of only 14 when they needed 15. The Utes elect to go for it on 4th and 1 and are stopped short. The Aztecs will take over on their own 5 yard line.

Halftime - Utah 35, SDSU 7

Head Coach Kyle Whittingham said that the Utes have yet to play their best game after each of their 10 wins so far. that may have to change if the performance of his team continues into the second half. The Utes doubled the offensive output of the Aztecs (296 to 148), had the ball for 5 more minutes and went a perfect 8 for 8 on first downs in the first half. Utah QB Brian Johnson was nearly perfect in the half (5 TDs, 1 INT). The defense played extremely well also. The only points that the Aztecs have scored came on a short field following an interception.

In the second half, look for the Utes to give its backup players a lot of playing time.

0:15 2nd Quarter
Utah 35, San Diego State 7
Utah's defense holds the Aztecs to only 1 first down (which came on a 17 yard screen pass to Tyler Campbell). Utah will take over on their own 17 following the punt.

Utah is going with the no huddle offense on the drive, and Johnson is doing a great job of finding open receivers. The 5-wide receiver set continues to be successful for the Utes. Utah is moving down the field with great passes from Brian Johnson. Johnson makes a nice throw to Brent Casteel for 28 yards, followed by a 13 yard pass to David Reed. Utah continues to be perfect on third downs (8 for 8) as Johnson finds David Reed open in the end zone from 3 yards out. Johnson is now up to 5 TD passes in the half. His stats are: 23-29 for 228 yards and 5 TDs, 1 INT.

5:11 2nd Quarter
Utah 28, San Diego State 7
Brent Casteel gives the Utes fantastic field position with a 31 yard kickoff return, which on the tackle the Aztecs get called for a 15 yard personal foul. Utah will start on the Aztec 44 yard line. Utah is continuing to do a good job of mixing up the play calls and catching the Aztecs off guard. Johnson throws his 4th TD pass of the game, this time to Freddie Brown on a 3rd and goal from the 5. Utah is a perfect 5 for 5 on third down conversions so far. Hats off to offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig for calling a great half of football.

11:01 2nd Quarter
Utah 21, San Diego State 7
On the first play of the 2nd quarter, Brian Johnson hits David Reed on the right sideline for a 32 yard TD pass. Johnson is playing lights out this half, already accounting for 3 TD passes. I like the way Johnson is checking off his receivers and not staring down any one player.

Is there any coach better at making adjustments than Utah's defensive coordinator Gary Andersen? After letting the Aztecs move the ball down the field using their speed on the sides in the first quarter, the Utes completely shut down the Aztecs and force a 3 and out.

After gaining a first down, Johnson throws an interception near mid-field, giving the Aztecs great field position. Jose Perez made a great play on the ball.

San Diego State capitalizes on the great field position as Ryan Lindley throws a 31 yard TD strike to Darren Mougey. The Aztecs went deep twice on the short drive, trying to expose the man coverage. Once they got Utah CB Sean Smith called for defensive holding, and the other went for the TD.

End First Quarter
Utah 14, San Diego State 0
Utah DE Koa Misi is playing fantastic defensive football right now. He has already forced a fumble and just now he came up with a great pass breakup on a 3rd and 6, forcing the Aztecs to punt.

Brent Casteel fielded the punt at the 19 yard line and made a great cut move towards the right side of the field, taking it 41 yards to the Aztec 40 yard line. Utah will have great field position.

2:41 First Quarter
Utah 14, San Diego State 0
San Diego State is putting a nice drive together, mixing up the play calls against an aggressive Utah defense. RB Atiyyah Henderson is finding some open space out on the sides, while QB Ryan Lindley is reading the blitz and throwing quick passes and picking up first downs. Utah's defense is finally able to stop the Aztecs, but not before they move to the Utah 30 yard line. Utah's opponents have missed 3 consecutive field goals (2 TCU) as kicker Lane Yoshida's 47 yard attempt goes wide right. With an offense that is struggling to find a rhythm, hopefully the missed kick doesn't discourage the Aztecs too much.

Utah's offense is really clicking right now. Johnson is on target with his passes and is making great decisions for his team. The offense is really successful when running the 5 wide receiver set. The Utes elect to go to the pass more on the drive and it pays off. Johnson runs the play-action to perfection as Johnson hits Freddie Brown for a 4 yard TD pass. On the drive, Johnson was 6-8 for 45 yards and a TD.

11:33 First Quarter
Utah 7, San Diego State 0
Utah won the coin toss and elects to defer. Ben Vroman kicks it into the end zone and the Aztecs will have it first and 10 on their own 20.

First play of the game is a pass interference penalty against the Utes. On the next play, Utah catches a break as Tyler Campbell rumbles for an 18 yard gain, but Stevenson Sylvester makes a great play forcing a fumble and Koa Misi recovers. Utah will have the ball first and 10 on their own 47 yard line.

Utah QB Brian Johnson looks sharp on his passes here early. Johnson goes 3 for 3 on the drive, with 2 passes to Freddie Brown and a 2 yard TD pass to Colt Sampson. The running game also looks great with Jereme Brooks, Matt Asiata and Darrell Mack all getting carries. The Utes never face a third down on the 7 play, 53 yard drive.

My Prediction
With a win, Utah can clinch at least a share of the MWC championship. Head Coach Kyle Whittingham should have his team prepared and ready to go in tonight's match-up against the Aztecs.

While some may say this is a trap game for the Utes, saying that they might be looking ahead to next week's edition of the Holy War, I think that Utah's coaching staff is doing a nice job of keeping the team focused on each opponent they face each week and that tonight's game will be no different.

Look for Utah to come firing out of the gate ready to play. While San Diego State may keep it close at first, pulling out all the stops in a last ditch effort to win a game and salvage the season (a win over a top 10 team might ease the pain of their 1-9 season), Utah has far more depth and too much talent. I expect Utah to pull away in the second half.

MY PREDICTION: Utah 41 San Diego State 17. Let me know what you think. Post your predictions/questions in the comment board.

Keys to the Game for Utah

• Establish the running game. Running backs Darrell Mack and Matt Asiata need to have well over 150 combined rushing yards against one of the worst rush defenses in all of college football (#118 NCAA)
• Don't gift wrap any points. Brian Johnson needs to play well and manage the game by not turning the ball over and giving San Diego State short fields to work with.
• Rush the QB - Aztec QB Ryan Lindley is 2nd in the MWC in passing yards per game. The front 4 for Utah will need to put pressure on Lindley and not let him have all day to throw the football.

Keys to the Game for San Diego State

• Get QB Ryan Lindley going early - throw the ball early and often to open up the running game
• Play to win - rather than play a field position game against Utah, the Aztecs will need to gamble a bit with trick plays and going for it on 4th down to keep Utah's defense out on the field.
• Don't turn the ball over - SDSU will need to play an error free game in order to keep it close and have a chance to beat the Utes at the end.

Utah Miscellaneous Stats

• Utah is ranked in the top-15 in the nation in six defensive categories. The Utes are eighth in rushing defense (97.1) and opponent first downs (150); 11th in total defense (281.2) and opponent third-down conversions (29.8); 13th in opponent fourth-down conversions (30.8) and 15th in scoring defense (16.9).
• Junior Ben Vroman has seen 63.6% (42-of-66) of his kickoffs go for touchbacks. He is averaging 69.1 yards per kickoff.
• Utah leads the nation in touchbacks (42). The next closest team has 35 touchbacks.
• The Utes rank second in the league in six defensive categories: scoring defense (16.9), rushing defense (97.1), total defense (281.2), opponent first downs (150), opponent third-down conversions (29.8) and time of possession (32:28). Utah leads the league in opponent fourth-down conversions (30.8) and ranks third in pass defense (184.1) and pass defense efficiency (113.6).
• Utah has held opponents to under 20 yards rushing in more than half (21-of-40) of the total quarters played. Opponents have had a negative net in eight quarters.
• Utah has three seniors with 1,000 career receiving yards: Brent Casteel (1,523), Bradon Godfrey (1,317) and Freddie Brown (1,026).
• Splitting carries almost down the middle have been junior Matt Asiata (108 carries, 550 yards, 5.1 average) and senior starter Darrell Mack (104 rushes, 477 yards, 4.6 yards per carry).
• Senior Brian Johnson owns the school record for most wins by a starting Ute quarterback with 23. Johnson, who is 23-7 as the starter, broke the record set by Alex Smith (21-1 in 2003-04).
• Johnson is completing 65.9% of his pass attempts (184-279) this season and has completed 65.3% of his career passes—which ranks second all-time at Utah and is the best percentage ever for a four-year player.
• Brian Johnson has been named a finalist for the Golden Arm Award, presented annually to the nation's top senior college quarterback by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation.
• Dating back to last year's Poinsettia Bowl victory, Utah has won 11 straight games, which is tied for the second-longest winning streak in the country with Alabama (behind Texas Tech with 12). Utah has won 18 of its last 19 games.

San Diego State Miscellaneous Stats

• Aztec opponents have started a drive on the SDSU side of the field 22 times this season, including five occasions at New Mexico, and have come away with just 93 points (4.2 points per possession).
• You can't look at the MWC defensive tackle leaders without noticing San Diego State. The Aztecs currently have three of the top seven. San Diego State's top two players in tackles rank among the top 50 nationally in the category.
• San Diego State has committed seven turnovers in its last two games against Utah.
• Aztec linebacker Russell Allen set a school record and tied the Rice-Eccles Stadium record with 22 tackles (10 unassisted), which had been held since 1999 by New Mexico's Brian Urlacher, but Utah still overpowered the San Diego State defense, racking up 514 total yards.
• SDSU has scored a touchdown in 24 consecutive games.
• SDSU has recovered eight opponent fumbles this season, already three more than it did in 2007.

Related topics