They are not done for the season. We don’t expect them to be lost for the season. If they are, we will make that known. – Kyle Whittingham
SALT LAKE CITY — It remains to be seen exactly how much the 24th-ranked Utah Utes ultimately lost in Friday’s 24-14 win over Utah State. Injuries sidelined quarterback Travis Wilson and defensive end Hunter Dimick in the second quarter.
After the game, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham — in line with his policy of not discussing injuries — declined to update the health status of Wilson and Dimick.
“We won’t release that. They are not done for the season,” Whittingham said. “We don’t expect them to be lost for the season. If they are, we will make that known.”
Whittingham’s weekly press conference is on Monday.
Wilson sported a sling on his left (non-throwing) shoulder at game’s end while Dimick had ice on his right knee.
“I’ve just got to get better and make sure I get healthy,” Wilson said before leaving the field at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The Utes (2-0) return to action Saturday at Fresno State. They open Pac-12 play the following week at Oregon.
Wilson completed 9 of 12 passes for 76 yards and rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown against Utah State before leaving with the injury. Backup Kendal Thompson stepped in and completed 8 of 10 passes for 56 yards. The senior also rushed for 23 yards and a score.
Whittingham expressed confidence in the Oklahoma transfer.
“He did some good things for us last year and did some nice things tonight,” Whittingham said. “He will be the guy in practice and he is a proven commodity.”
Linebacker Jared Norris, who led the Utes with 10 tackles, thought the team responded well to the adversity. They outscored the Aggies 10-0 in the second half to secure the victory.
“I don’t think the energy was sucked out of us. We took a step back and realized that Travis and Hunter were hurt,” Norris said. “We had to step up because two good guys that make plays got hurt. Kendal and Kylie (Fitts) came in and made big plays and that’s a testament to our team.”
Senior running back Devontae Booker paced the offense with 120 yards rushing and a touchdown. Freshman Britain Covey topped the receiving corps with six catches for 61 yards.
“I think we did OK. We didn’t execute at a high level but the most important stat is to get the win and we did,” Thompson said. “We’ll watch the film and clean things up.”
Defensively, the big news was the first two sacks of the season. Junior defensive end Pita Taumoepenu did more than get the initial stop on Utah State’s Chuckie Keeton. Jason Fanaika had the other. Taumoepenu forced a fumble on his sack and the ball was recovered by linebacker Gionni Paul. The senior then intercepted Keeton the next time the Aggies had the ball.
“That’s the nature of Gionni Paul. He’s a big-play guy. He’s tough and instinctive,” Whittingham said. “Instinctive guys have a knack to make those types of plays.”
Overall, though, Whittingham summarized that the Utes have work to do in all phases of the game.
“We are nowhere near where we need to be,” he said.
EXTRA POINTS: The Utes have five interceptions on the season with the picks made by Paul and Marcus Williams on Friday. ... Junior kicker Andy Phillips made three PATs and a 37-yard field goal. ... Senior Tom Hackett averaged 42.7 yards on six punts. ... Covey had a 30-yard punt return. ... Fitts finished with five tackles and a pass breakup. ... Fanaika made seven tackles and forced a fumble.
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