LOGAN, Utah (AP) — Isaac Wilson had 239 yards passing and three touchdowns in his first career start to lead No. 12 Utah to a 35-21 victory over Utah State on Saturday.
Wilson started in place of Cam Rising, who sat out after injuring his throwing hand against Baylor last week. Nine players caught a pass from the true freshman in his first 200-yard game. He was the first Utah quarterback to throw three touchdown passes in his first start as a true freshman.
“Definitely after that first drive I felt comfortable and ready to go,” Wilson said.
Micah Bernard added 123 yards rushing and a touchdown, and Mike Mitchell ran for 75 yards. Bernard had his second straight 100-yard game and the fourth of his career. The Utes totaled 460 yards on offense and averaged 6.2 yards per play.
Utah (3-0) beat Utah State for the 15th time in the last 16 meetings in their rivalry that dates to 1892.
“We had everything working,” Bernard said. “(Wilson) was throwing the ball pretty well. A lot of receivers were getting open and he’s making those passes. We started running the ball efficiently. When you get a game like that, that’s what we’re going to be.”
Bryson Barnes led Utah State (1-2) with 223 yards passing and two touchdowns in his first game against his former team. Barnes, who was Utah’s starting quarterback a year ago, had a pair of costly interceptions that shifted momentum away from the Aggies before halftime.
Rashul Faison added 115 yards rushing for Utah State.
“I thought the toughness was there the whole game,” Utah State interim coach Nate Dreiling said. “I don’t think anyone is ever going to question our toughness. Proud of how they played. We just need to do more and have more details in everything we do. If we can do that, we’ll have a chance to really get this thing going.”
A series of big pass plays helped the Aggies give the Utes an early scare.
Barnes hit Otto Tia on a deep pass down the sideline and followed with a 20-yard scoring strike to Broc Lane to put Utah State in front late in the first quarter. The Aggies made it 14-3 less than a minute into the second quarter on a 12-yard pass from Barnes to Jack Hestera. Jaylen Royals hauled in a 35-yard pass with one hand a play earlier to set up Utah State’s second touchdown.
“They were more ready to play than we were at the onset,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “We kind of sleepwalked through that first quarter, got things going after that.”
Utah’s offense finally sprang to life in the second quarter.
Wilson tossed a 10-yard pass to Money Parks for the Utes’ first touchdown. Then Caleb Lohner outjumped a defender to haul in a 11-yard pass, that gave Utah a 17-14 lead going into halftime. Cameron Calhoun returned his first career interception 34 yards to midfield to set up the go-ahead score.
Bernard helped put the game away after halftime. He barreled three yards up the middle to give the Utes a two-touchdown lead in the third quarter. The Aggies briefly cut the deficit to seven on a 1-yard keeper by Barnes. Bernard then raced for a career-long 64 yards to set up a 2-yard catch by Carsen Ryan, giving Utah a 35-21 lead with 11:50 left.
The Takeaway
Utah: A sluggish early start from the offense was offset by big defensive plays. The Utes earned a pair of first-half takeaways that kept Utah State from building an even bigger lead. Smith Snowden saved a first-quarter touchdown with an interception in the end zone and Calhoun’s pick set up a go-ahead TD before halftime.
Utah State: The Aggies played inspired football in their first home game against Utah since 2012. Ultimately, breakdowns at critical moments on both sides of the ball undid Utah State’s chances at picking up a rare win over the Utes.
Missed Chances
Utah State went 3 for 3 on fourth downs through the first three quarters. The final two conversions, capped by a 17-yard sprint from Faison, kept the Aggies’ final scoring drive alive. But the first conversion ended with Smith Snowden ripping the ball away from Kyrese White’s hands in the end zone for Utah’s first interception.
Aggies kicker Elliott Nimrod also had a 35-yard field goal attempt blocked in the second quarter and missed a 43-yard attempt in the fourth quarter that would have cut Utah’s lead to four.
Touchdown Machine
Lohner made his second career catch since switching to football from basketball and transferring to Utah from Baylor. Both catches were touchdowns. His first reception was a 20-yard score against Southern Utah in the season opener.
“Caleb Lohner is a weapon and I think we need to find more ways to use him,” Whittingham said.
Poll Implications
Utah is well-positioned to move up in the AP Poll on Sunday after a comeback victory on the road.
Up Next
Utah: At Oklahoma State in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
Utah State: At Temple.
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