Utah 42, Stanford 7
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
By MATTHEW COLES
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY - Tavion Thomas rushed for a career-high 180 yards and Cameron Rising threw for three touchdowns to lead No. 13 Utah to a 42-7 win over Stanford.
Utah (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12) started slow on a below-freezing night in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains, but scored 42 straight points after trailing 7-0 to Stanford (3-7, 1-7).
Utah's defense was suffocating after the initial score while Thomas recorded his first 100-yard rushing game since the season opener at Florida and eclipsed his previous high (177) set at Stanford last year.
Thomas, who has been in and out of the lineup with personal issues, was pressed into heavy use because of injuries in the backfield. He rushed for a four-yard TD in the second quarter and a 36-yard score in the fourth - his 28th career touchdown at Utah, moving him to third on the all-time rushing TD list.
Thomas was a 1,000-yard rusher and had 21 touchdowns last season but was away from team at times this season and missed the Washington State game. He struggled through the middle of the season but showed renewed speed and power in time for Utah's quest for a Rose Bowl return.
Rising went 20-for-33 through the air for 219 yards with an interception to boost Utah's home winning streak to 14.
The Utes initially struggled to execute against Stanford, which allows the most rushing yards of any team in the conference. After three fourth-down conversions, including a fake punt, Utah finally scored on a Rising-to-Devaughn Vele 9-yard TD pass in the second quarter.
After that, the floodgates opened and Utah rolled to 514 total yards with 279 on the ground. At the same time, Stanford's entire offense failed to outgain Thomas, garnering just 177 total yards.
On Stanford's second drive, Tanner McKee evaded the rush and threw a 51-yard pass and then snuck in for a one-yard touchdown one play later.
In the end, McKee passed for 155 yards but didn't have much time to throw and was sacked seven times.
THE TAKEAWAY
Stanford: Without any semblance of a rushing attack - just 22 yards - the Cardinal couldn't move the ball. Stanford's defense forced Utah to convert four fourth downs to keep drives going but eventually wore down against the run and were exposed when Utah turned to the passing game against a stacked box.
Utah: The Ute defense looked suspect earlier this season and in this game, but dominated the second quarter by keeping Stanford without a single first down while the offense awoke. Once the Utah line controlled the line of scrimmage, the game was essentially over. Now Utah heads to Oregon in a battle in of one-loss teams.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Oregon and Mississippi were the only teams ranked ahead of the Utes to lose, but both dropped close contests to ranked opponents so Utah has limited room to move up.
November 13, 2022
| Scoring Summary |
| First Quarter |
Stan | Utah |
| Stan |
TD |
3:40 |
Tanner McKee 1 yard TD run (Joshua Karty Extra Point) |
7 |
0 |
| Second Quarter |
Stan | Utah |
| Utah |
TD |
12:49 |
Devaughn Vele 9 yard TD pass from Cameron Rising (Jadon Redding Extra Point) |
7 |
7 |
| Utah |
TD |
6:44 |
Tavion Thomas 4 yard TD run (Jadon Redding Extra Point) |
7 |
14 |
| Third Quarter |
Stan | Utah |
| Utah |
TD |
8:49 |
Thomas Yassmin 14 yard TD pass from Cameron Rising (Jadon Redding Extra Point) |
7 |
21 |
| Utah |
TD |
5:14 |
Micah Bernard 19 yard TD pass from Cameron Rising (Jadon Redding Extra Point) |
7 |
28 |
| Utah |
TD |
1:37 |
Logan Kendall 16 yard TD pass from Nate Johnson (Jadon Redding Extra Point) |
7 |
35 |
| Fourth Quarter |
Stan | Utah |
| Utah |
TD |
8:32 |
Tavion Thomas 36 yard TD run (Jadon Redding Extra Point) |
7 |
42 |
| Team Stats |
| |
Stanford |
Utah |
| First downs |
9 |
29 |
| Rushing |
2 |
14 |
| Passing |
5 |
12 |
| Penalty |
2 |
3 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency |
3-14, 21% |
6-12, 50% |
| 4th down efficiency |
1-2, 50% |
4-4, 100% |
| Rushes-Yards |
26-22 |
37-279 |
| Passing Yards |
155 |
235 |
| Return Yards |
100 |
12 |
| Completions-Attempts-Int |
12-25-0 |
21-34-1 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost |
7-33 |
1-5 |
| Punts |
7 |
2 |
| Fumbles Lost |
0-0 |
1-0 |
| Penalties - Yards |
5-45 |
4-50 |
| Stanford Passing |
| Player |
Cmp |
Att |
Yds |
TDs |
Int |
| T. McKee |
11 |
23 |
155 |
0 |
0 |
| A. Daniels |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Utah Passing |
| Player |
Cmp |
Att |
Yds |
TDs |
Int |
| C. Rising |
20 |
33 |
219 |
3 |
1 |
| N. Johnson |
1 |
1 |
16 |
1 |
0 |
| Stanford Rushing |
| Player |
Carries |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| M. Leigber |
12 |
40 |
3.3 |
0 |
| S. Taylor |
1 |
2 |
2.0 |
0 |
| M. Reuben |
2 |
-5 |
-2.5 |
0 |
| T. McKee |
11 |
-15 |
-1.4 |
1 |
| Utah Rushing |
| Player |
Carries |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| T. Thomas |
22 |
180 |
8.2 |
2 |
| C. Rising |
3 |
34 |
11.3 |
0 |
| N. Johnson |
1 |
21 |
21.0 |
0 |
| J. Bouwmeester |
1 |
14 |
14.0 |
0 |
| J. Dixon |
1 |
13 |
13.0 |
0 |
| M. Bernard |
5 |
11 |
2.2 |
0 |
| K. Bills |
1 |
5 |
5.0 |
0 |
| M. Parks |
1 |
2 |
2.0 |
0 |
| C. Vincent |
2 |
-1 |
-0.5 |
0 |
| Stanford Receiving |
| Player |
Rec |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| E. Higgins |
7 |
105 |
15.0 |
0 |
| C. Hawkins |
1 |
20 |
20.0 |
0 |
| J. Humphreys |
1 |
16 |
16.0 |
0 |
| B. Yurosek |
2 |
7 |
3.5 |
0 |
| B. Tremayne |
1 |
7 |
7.0 |
0 |
| Utah Receiving |
| Player |
Rec |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| D. Vele |
6 |
61 |
10.2 |
1 |
| M. Bernard |
3 |
57 |
19.0 |
1 |
| D. Kincaid |
4 |
35 |
8.8 |
0 |
| J. Dixon |
3 |
22 |
7.3 |
0 |
| S. Enis |
1 |
16 |
16.0 |
0 |
| L. Kendall |
1 |
16 |
16.0 |
1 |
| M. Parks |
2 |
14 |
7.0 |
0 |
| T. Yassmin |
1 |
14 |
14.0 |
1 |
| Stanford Interceptions |
| Player |
Int |
Yards |
| J. McGill |
1 |
0 |
| Utah Interceptions |
| Player |
Int |
Yards |
| Stanford Punting |
| Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Avg |
| R. Sanborn |
7 |
273 |
39.0 |
| Utah Punting |
| Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Avg |
| J. Bouwmeester |
2 |
56 |
28.0 |
| Stanford Punt Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| Utah Punt Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| D. Vele |
2 |
12 |
6.0 |
| Stanford Kick Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| J. Thompson |
5 |
100 |
20.0 |
| Utah Kick Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| Stanford Missed FG |
| Player |
Length |
| Utah Missed FG |
| Player |
Length |
