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SALT LAKE CITY — Defense wins championships, or at least that's what Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham is counting on this season.
Utah held UCLA scoreless through three quarters before giving up a late score en route to a 14-7 win. But more importantly for the Utes, the defense held the third-best rushing team (270.3 yards per game) in the country to only 9 rushing yards Saturday. Utah now ranks fourth in the country in run defense with an average of 51.0 yards allowed per game.
Further, Chip Kelly has been held to under 10 points only three times in his coaching career, and Utah has done it now twice, according to SportsSource Analytics.
It was a defensive performance that Whittingham described as "suffocating" as Utah improved to 4-0 on the season, even with several of its players in the two-deep roster still out of the starting lineup. Utah is one of only five teams in the country — Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina and Penn State — with three wins over Power Five competition through Week 4.
For that success, Utah moved up to No. 10 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings that were released Sunday afternoon, up one spot from its previous spot at No. 11.
The Utes remain one of six teams ranked from the Pac-12 this week, with Washington moving up to No. 7 as the highest-ranked team in the competitive conference. Washington jumped USC after a dismantling of California Saturday night; the Bears become the latest victim to the Huskies' high-powered offense. Behind Washington is No. 8 USC, which dropped three spots, No. 9 Oregon and No. 16 Washington State.
Oregon State, which lost to Washington State in the de facto Pac-2 championship, dropped to No. 19 ahead of its Friday night showdown in Corvallis against Utah. Colorado and UCLA dropped out of the Top 25 after their losses, but both continue to receive votes.
Georgia, the reigning two-time national champions, remains the No. 1 team in the country after four weeks of action with 55 first-place votes, down from last week's 57 votes. Behind the Bulldogs is No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Florida State.
If you'd like to create your own Top 25 list, visit the KSL.com Sports college football fan poll.
