Utah Utes wide receiver Munir McClain catches the ball in the end zone for a touchdown during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
The 18th-ranked Utah Utes bounced back from a huge loss last week to the Oregon Ducks by soundly beating the short-handed Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday at home, 55-3.
Sure, there are a bunch of caveats here, but the Utes reminded us how great their defense can be after an outing against Oregon in which they were outclassed.
Yes, the Sun Devils are in the beginning of a rebuild under first-year head coach Kenny Dillingham, and yes, they were missing most of their starting offensive line Saturday, and yes, they played with their backup quarterback — BYU transfer Jacob Conover — for most of the afternoon, but still, Utah was dominant.
Consider these stats: In the first half, Arizona State had just 27 total yards of offense on 27 plays, the Sun Devils were 0 of 7 on third down and the Utes had the ball for over 20 of the 30 minutes.
For the game, Arizona State finished with just 83 yards of total offense, picked up just six first downs and was just 1 of 15 on third down as the Utah defense came just shy of pitching a shutout (more on that later).
Utah Utes quarterback Bryson Barnes pulls back to throw the ball during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes marching band plays before the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the tailgate area outside Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
The Utah Utes warmup before the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes marching band plays before the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the tailgate area outside Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
The Utah Utes warmup before the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes wide receiver Munir McClain catches the ball in the end zone for a touchdown during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes linebacker Karene Reid sacks Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Jacob Conover during the first half of the football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes players celebrate after Utah Utes cornerback Miles Battle interception, that call was later overturned, during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes fans hold up three fingers during a third down for the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham watches from the sidelines during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes wide receiver Money Parks runs the ball with Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Jordan Clark on defense during the game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes linebacker Levani Damuni celebrates after Utah Utes cornerback Miles Battle interception, that call was later overturned, during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes running back Ja’Quinden Jackson runs the ball for a touchdown during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
The Utah Utes play against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham paces the sidelines during the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Fans high-five with foam fingers after a touchdown by the Utah Utes during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Arizona State Sun Devils running back Cameron Skattebo throws the ball during the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes wide receiver Devaughn Veleat lights the U after their 55-3 victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Elijhah Badger is tackled by Utah Utes safety Briton Allen, left, and Utah Utes cornerback Smith Snowden, right, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes cornerback Miles Battle intercepts the ball over Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Elijhah Badger during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes quarterback Nate Johnson runs the ball for a touchdown during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Arizona State Sun Devils players watch sadly from the sidelines during the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. The final score was 55-3 for the Utah Utes. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes safety Ben Durham is tackled by Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back RJ Regan at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Jacob Conover lays on the ground sadly after he was sacked during the fourth quarter of the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. The final score was 55-3 for the Utah Utes. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes running back Charlie Vincent falls into the end zone for a touchdown during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes players celebrate Utah Utes running back Charlie Vincent’s touchdown during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes running back Charlie Vincent runs the ball for a touchdown during the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
The offense was excellent
It was immediately apparent that Utah was facing a different defense than the one it scored just six points on last week against Oregon.
The Utes marched 72 yards down the field in eight plays and just over three minutes on the first drive of the game for a touchdown, and they found the end zone again five minutes later to build a big early lead.
Utah did hit a bit of a lull for most of the rest of the first half, as it scored just three more points until quarterback Bryson Barnes connected with Munir McClain for a 20-yard touchdown with 54 seconds left before halftime.
The Utes carried that momentum into the second half as they scored 31 points over the final minutes, and their 55 total points comfortably became a new season high (34 was the previous high).
Other notable high marks: Barnes’ four touchdown passes were the most he’s thrown in a game in his career (with no interceptions to boot) and Utah’s 352 rushing yards were its most in a game this season.
The Utes finished with 513 total yards of offense.
The biggest downside offensively for the Utes certainly was that running back Ja’Quinden Jackson was injured on a touchdown carry and he did not return to the game, finishing with a team-high 111 yards on just 13 carries (his status moving forward is not yet known).
One mixed bag
If there was one area of the game for Utah that wasn’t excellent, it was special teams. Most notably, the Utes allowed a 79-yard kick return that set Arizona State up for its only points of the game.
Additionally, Cole Becker missed a field goal attempt and Utah allowed a return for a touchdown, although it was called back because of holding on the Sun Devils.
On the positive side of things, Becker did bounce back to make two field goal attempts and punter Jack Bouwmeester was solid, totaling 97 yards on two punts.
Kansas City Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub said kicker Harrison Butker may be removed from kickoffs. But not because of Butker's recent controversial remarks.
Olympic gold medal and two-time NCAA champion wrestler Gable Steveson has signed with the Buffalo Bills. He'll attempt to make the team as a defensive tackle.
The New Orleans Pelicans have opted not to take the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round pick in this year's NBA Draft as part of the Anthony Davis trade. The Pelicans will take the Lakers' pick next year.
All five of these hitters were drafted highly in fantasy baseball leagues. So far, they have not lived up to their ADPs — and that's an understatement. Scott Pianowski analyzes.
