SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The weather in and around the Salt Lake City area was not the only thing that dampened the mood around the Sun Devil Football program as the Utah Utes spoiled Arizona State’s trip to the Beehive State, where the Sun Devils fell to the Utes 42-10.
Despite a weather cell moving through the area that nearly threatened the start of Saturday evening’s contest, both teams embraced the storm and played a first quarter that featured a combined 128 offensive yards and 10 points with the Utes taking a 7-3 lead into the second 15-minute stanza.
From there, Utah (5-1, 2-1) took control of the game by outscoring Arizona State, 14-0, during the second quarter, while outgaining the Sun Devils, who were playing without starting quarterback Sam Leavitt for the duration of the contest, 134-73, even though ASU held the ball for 9 minutes, 54 seconds of the 15-minute quarter.
Arizona State, which had not lost a Big 12 contest in 358 days, attempted to rally from its 21-3 halftime deficit, but Utah took its first offensive possession of the second half - an offensive series that followed ASU (4-2, 2-1) punting after receiving the second half kickoff - and marched 68 yards in five plays to extend its lead out to 28-3.
Jordyn Tyson, who caught a team-high eight of Jeff Sims’ 18 completions on the night, cut Arizona State’s deficit seven minutes later when he scored the Sun Devils’ lone touchdown of the game on a 3-yard run to cap a 13-play, 75-yard drive that took 6 minutes, 28 seconds off the game clock.
Utah, though, countered three minutes later with its fifth rushing touchdown of the evening to extend its lead back out to 35-10 in the closing seconds of the third quarter. The Utes capped the night with their sixth rushing score in the game with 10 minutes remaining in regulation to seal the contest.