OREGON 0/7/10/8 - 25
UTAH 10/9/3/10 - 32
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - The Ducks lost their third straight road game when they traveled to Rice-Eccles Stadium and fell to the Utes, 25 to 32. Despite playing with a backup quarterback and running back, Utah was able to score 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory that would eventually lead them to their first PAC-12 championship game. Justin Herbert tallied three touchdowns and 288 yards on 20-of-33 passing in a losing effort.
The Ducks suffered through another slow start, resulting in a quick 10-0 lead for the home team: Matt Gay connected on a 35-yard field goal to score the game’s opening points, then, after a Cody Barton sack caused a fumble from Herbert, backup redshirt freshman Jason Shelley capped off a short drive with a two-yard touchdown run. Oregon finished the first quarter with just four yards of offense.
Utah reached the Oregon five-yard line with a fresh set of downs, but only managed to pickup three yards in three plays, leading coach Kyle Whittingham to settle for the field goal to put the Utes up 13-0. Justin Herbert and the Oregon offense traveled 75 yards in six plays to cut the lead to six with a 34-yard touchdown reception from Dillon Mitchell. The Duck defense kept the Utes out of the end zone for the remainder of the first half, but allowed two more Matt Gay field goals to give Utah a 19-7 lead at halftime. Oregon had an opportunity to add to their score late in the second, but Adam Stack missed the field goal attempt from the Utah 18.
In a reversal of the first quarter, Oregon scored 10 unanswered points to cut the lead to two. CJ Verdell and Dillon Mitchell led a 75-yard, nine-play drive that ended with Mitchell’s second touchdown of the day. Oregon’s defense managed to force a three-and-out after the Duck touchdown, and on the next drive a 58-yard pass to Mitchell set up a 34-yard field goal attempt, which this time Adam Stack nailed.
A 42-yard run from backup running back Armand Shyne fueled a drive that was capped off with a 41-yard field goal that gave the Utes a five-point lead with 3:27 left in the third quarter. Four consecutive punts slowed down the game until Oregon tight end Kano Dillon blocked a punt form Mitch Wishnowsky, which was recovered and carried to the Utah three-yard line by Adrian Jackson. One play later, Justin Herbert found Travis Dye for the touchdown, and after a Jaylon Redd two-point conversion the Ducks had their first lead of the game at 25 to 22.
Herbert's third and final touchdown pass came at the 8:15 mark in the final quarter, unfortunately for the Ducks, Utah’s backups shined in the fourth quarter to earn the win. Shelley completed three of his four passes for 60 yards in a drive that concluded with a two-yard touchdown fun from Shyne to take the lead, and after forcing Oregon to punt from midfield, Whittingham used a combination of carries from Shelley and Shyne to run down the clock and set up a field goal to give the Utes a touchdown lead with 15 seconds remaining. Herbert managed to get the Ducks to midfield with a 28-yard pass to Brenden Schooler, but the Hail Mary attempt fell short.
"Without a doubt it's been a problem. It seemed like we snapped out of it better this time; by the time the second quarter rolled around we started to generate some stuff. ... there's no comfort in progress. It's reality, but it's not the end goal. We have to find a way to start quicker, start better on the road."
- Mario Cristobal regarding Oregon’s slow starts on the road
Oregon Offense (total: 405 - pass: 288 - rush: 117)
Utah Offense (total: 494 - pass: 262 - rush: 232)
Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 0)
Utah Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - FUM: 1)
UO (6-4, 3-4) UU (7-3, 5-3)