No. 14 Utah battles elements to dominate Arizona 45-20 in home win

SALT LAKE CITY — Arizona had no trouble running against No. 14 Utah's defense on Saturday in a rain-soaked Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The Wildcats picked up easy yards, had several big plays, including a 57-yard run by Michael Wiley, and made the defense work to contain an effective run game.

And then it all stopped.

Arizona switched to a pass-heavy scheme, mostly out of necessity and because that's been their bread and butter all season, and found itself having a difficult time converting first downs against a Utah secondary that finished with seven pass breakups on the night.

Utah's defense added pressure to Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura and forced seven fumbles, four of which were recovered by Utah, and had three sacks and four tackles for loss.

The Utes were more than grateful for the switch and took advantage en route to a 45-20 win at home.

"I feel like their pass game is their strength, so as the lead started to extend, I think they leaned more towards their pass game," said Karene Reid, who finished with four tackles and a partial sack with defensive end Jonah Elliss.

And while it was a whole team effort, none was bigger than Zemaiah Vaughn, who finished with three pass breakups and was everywhere for Utah's secondary unit.

"I think that was absolutely his best game as a Ute," Utah (7-2, 5-1 Pac-12) head coach Kyle Whittingham said of Vaughn. "He was making play after play, and he's a very talented kid. He's got great speed. ... But for a former quarterback who's only been playing corner for a couple of years now, he's really doing a nice job."

For Vaughn, he said it simply came down to "great preparation, basically."

Arizona (3-6, 1-5 Pac-12) manufactured 10 points in the final 2:31 of the game after Utah's Tiquan Gilmore muffed a punt and had to fall on the ball in the end zone for a safety. Arizona then used a five-play, 58-yard drive to score its second touchdown of the night when backup quarterback Noah Fifita tossed a 2-yard pass to Tetairoa McMillan for the score.

The score was meaningless in the end, but it was enough to give the visiting team an opportunity to close the gap.

Arizona's de Laura, who kept Utah on its toes at times with his ability to break out of the pocket and extend plays, finished the night throwing for 159 yards on 10-of-20 passing in the road game loss. He was replaced early in the fourth quarter by Fifita, who threw for 72 yards and one touchdown on 5-of-10 passing.

Utah got starting quarterback Cameron Rising back under center after he was a late-game scratch last week against Washington State due to a lingering injury to his left knee. Whittingham said Rising wasn't completely 100% Saturday night and wasn't "as sharp as he usually is," but said he expects him to be "very close."

Rising downplayed the injury, like he has for much of the time since he suffered the injury against USC, and said he is "feeling great."

"It felt good to be out there with the guys and just running the offense again," Rising said.

Rising finished the night passing for 151 yards and one touchdown on 13-of-25 passing before checking out of the game in the fourth quarter. He was replaced by backup Bryson Barnes, who finished out the game handing off the ball as Utah attempted to drain the clock.

Due to the rain and wind, Utah kept to a run-heavy game plan behind freshman running back Jaylon Glover and newly converted running back Ja'Quinden Jackson, who combined for 166 yards and one touchdown in the win. In all, Utah ran for a season high 306 yards against an Arizona defense that struggled to contain Utah's attack.

Jackson exited the game due to injury in the second half after he fumbled the ball on the 1-yard line as he stretched for the touchdown. Whittingham called it an "upper body" injury but added he wouldn't know the severity of it until Sunday or Monday. Jackson was checked out in the team's medical tent before the staff eventually took him into the locker room to be evaluated.

Glover, too, left the game early to what Whittingham said was a "lower body" injury, though he remained on the sidelines and appeared to be walking around with a slight limp.

Tavion Thomas replaced the duo midway through the third quarter and finished with 38 yards on eight carries. Thomas, who has seen limited playing time due to some off-the-field issues, also played on special teams and recorded a tackle in the second half.

The real star of the night for Utah's offense was freshman quarterback Nate Johnson, who appeared in only a few snaps under center in relief of Rising for the first time in his collegiate career. Johnson showcased his speed off the edge and found the end zone twice for his first two touchdown scores of his career, including scores of 9- and 8-yards out.

"I mean, it was really fun," Johnson said. "First carry, touchdown; second carry, touchdown. Just being out there with the guys, being with team, it was really exciting."

Johnson said he found out on Monday that he could be a factor in the team's offense, but didn't know if Utah would get in a situation in which they needed him.

"We were low on running backs, as far as healthy running backs. We were down Dalton (Kincaid), and just looking for a way to provide some more spark, you know, just creative ways to provide spark, and he sure did that," Whittingham said. "You saw how fast he is."

Whittingham said he liked what he saw from his freshman quarterback and added that it will be up to offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig on whether Johnson sees more time this season.

"We'll see what happens going forward, and what Andy comes up with," Whittingham said. "That was all coach Lud's brainchild and implementation. And so if it looks like it's going to be something that we can hang on to and continue to get mileage out of then we'll do that."

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