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SALT LAKE CITY — As Utah won the coin toss before the game Saturday night against the UCLA Bruins, Kyle Whittingham's team elected to start on offense.
That decision, alone, was not earth shattering or unusual in the collegiate game, but it was far from a characteristic move for a Utah program that prides itself on setting the tone of the game with a defensive stop and starting the second half with the ball on offense.
But on Saturday, Utah flipped the script.
The script played out well for the Utes, who managed a touchdown on the first four possessions of the game to take a 28-10 lead into halftime. A fifth potential score on the team's next drive in the third quarter was imminent, but UCLA finally got a break when quarterback Cam Rising's passes on third and fourth down went incomplete.
The first three drives all went for 75 yards in 10 plays or less and under four minutes per possession; the fourth came after an interception by linebacker Nephi Sewell at UCLA's 17-yard line. Two plays after the interception, running back Tavion Thomas found the end zone on a 10-yard rushing play to complete his hat trick just before halftime.
"Tavion was outstanding — 160 plus yards and four touchdowns. Just an outstanding night," Whittingham said. "He's really turning into a workhorse for us — carried the ball 24 times. It's a huge positive what he's doing for our team."
The offense was efficient and effective, and there was little UCLA could do to stop a well-designed opening half of play that showcased a balanced dose of the run (146 yards) and passing (92 yards) game to a multitude of offensive weapons.
"We've got a group of dogs and they just don't stop going," Rising said of the offense. "They just keep that gas pedal down and just go. It's really fun, and I'm happy to be a part of it."
It's an offense that has given Whittingham "more and more confidence" as the season has progressed, and one with a diverse personnel to give the Utes multiple looks in the game.
Start with a stable of running backs led by Thomas that has only gotten better as the season has progressed, mix in a receiving corps with multiple targets ready, willing and able to make big plays, and then there's the multi-talented group of tight ends to add to the flair of the offense.
That diverse and skilled set of players have become a complete package, and one that has lifted Utah to the top of the Pac-12 South division and a 4-1 record in conference play. And considering where Utah started the season as an inept offense, the overnight change has been transformational — not only for the confidence of the team but for its postseason hopes.
A week after two turnovers on downs in the red zone against Oregon State, Utah went a perfect 5-of-5 inside the 20-yard line and showcased a more physical approach with four rushing touchdowns to one passing touchdown. The offensive line was dialed in and gave Rising the protection he needed to work, in addition to opening up gaps for the run game to be successful.
"The key to the game was our ability to run the football, that was pretty cut and dry to me," Whittingham said. "They were tremendous against defending the run going in, I think 90 something yards, and we got 290. And so that was the key to the whole thing. Cam had another exceptional night.
"Offensive line deserves a huge shoutout; you don't get 290 yards rushing without a lot of movement going on up front, and our offensive line rose to the occasion, rose to the challenge."
Tavion Thomas totals 4 TDs as Utes take sole possession of South in win
Tavion Thomas completed the hat trick — plus one — as Utah pulled away from UCLA to claim sole possession of the South division in the Pac-12.Thomas' four rushing touchdowns and the team's 290 yards rushing on the night was enough to prove that point — and that's saying nothing of a deathly pancake by lineman Sataoa Laumea on a UCLA defender and another block down field by Dalton Kincaid to allow Thomas to waltz into the end zone for one of his four touchdowns on the night.
"It was a car accident out there," Rising said of the pancake block. "I had to turn back and I was like, 'Wow.' I heard an oof in the crowd and everything."
"I was like, 'Oh, I guess I'll go right there then.' That was crazy watching; I love that," Thomas added. "That's tough and nasty right there."
Utah now features the 21st most efficient offense in the country, according to ESPN's Football Power Index, and Rising has the eighth-best Total QBR in the country at 81.7. Rising also has the second-highest passing grade in the Pac-12, according to Pro Football Focus, and Thomas has the sixth-highest offensive grade of running backs and 16th-highest rushing grade among Power Five programs.
And that's saying nothing of Kincaid having the 10th-highest offensive grade of tight ends among Power Five programs, according to PFF.
With the complete turnaround on offense and the confidence and consistency it's brought to the team, Utah is favored in its final four games of the regular season, according to FPI. Utah has a 67.6% chance of winning its Friday night tilt against Stanford before two games with more than a 90% chance of a win and a 55% chance of a home win against Oregon.
If the predictions hold true, Utah will have claimed its third South division title in four seasons and have another chance to make it to the program's first-ever Rose Bowl. Utah is far from a perfect team or resembling that of the 2019 team that was knocking on the College Football Playoff door, but it's getting the job done, and it's doing it with a strong offense.
And for Whittingham, that's the best he could ask for from an offense.
