It feels amazing. It’s great to start off a football season like this. – Utah quarterback Travis Wilson
SALT LAKE CITY — Defensive coordinator John Pease said he was “absolutely grinning like a Cheshire cat” after Utah’s 24-17 win over Michigan Thursday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Pease wasn’t alone.
The outcome left the Utes and a vast majority of the record crowd of 47,825 smiling.
“It feels amazing. It’s great to start off a football season like this,” said quarterback Travis Wilson. “Michigan was definitely a great team and it was a great challenge for this team. But I’m so excited for this season and what this team has in store.”
Wilson had a strong outing. He completed 24-of-33 passes for 208 yards and rushed for 53 more to lead Utah to its third straight victory over the Wolverines and spoiling the debut of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
“It was a real tough football game tonight for both teams,” Harbaugh said. “I thought it was a real physical, competitive football game.”
All the hype associated with the opener, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham admitted, was wearing him out. Even so, he said there were a lot of positives in the game, and he was proud of his coaching staff.
“The way they handled the preparation, and all the film study, and the package we put together was almost spot on,” Whittingham explained. “What we saw in the game was what we were practicing against.”
Running back Devontae Booker, who finished with a game-high 69 yards rushing, acknowledged it was a tough game between the trenches.
“It was physical,” he said. “A lot of guys out there flying around, hitting.”
Utah’s defense proved to be a big factor. A pick-6 by Justin Thomas with 7:58 left to play was pivotal. The 55-yard return, along with a fourth-down stop on Michigan’s next possession, kept the Wolverines caged.
The Utes, who were led by linebacker Gionni Paul’s game-high 14 tackles, finished with three interceptions. None, though, were bigger than the grab made by Thomas.
“I just broke on the ball. That’s all I remember and after that it was a wrap. It was a wrap after that,” said Thomas, who added that it meant a lot personally. “I prayed about this and I just came through.”
Utah opened the game with success on both sides of the ball.
The offense got things started with a 10-play scoring drive that took 4:30 off the clock. Wilson led the march by completing all four passes he threw and rushing for a team-high 17 yards. Phillips capped things off with a 30-yard field goal.
Michigan’s first offensive series ended with an interception by cornerback Cory Butler-Byrd on the Utah 14.
The Utes led 3-0 at the end of one quarter. Although it didn’t last long — the Wolverines pulled even on a 29-yard kick by Kenny Allen less than a minute into the second — they fired back quickly.
Wilson completed four throws on the ensuing drive, including pivotal connections to true freshmen Britain Covey and Tyrone Smith, to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Booker with 10:33 left to play in the half. Phillips added the extra point on a series that included a 17-yard pass from Wilson to tight end Siale Fakailoatonga and a 10-yard burst by Booker.
Utah’s 10-3 advantage held firm throughout the balance of the half. Both teams recorded interceptions down the stretch. Marcus Williams picked off a pass for the Utes near midfield with 5:31 to go in the second quarter, while Michigan’s Jeremy Clark snagged a Wilson pass in the end zone as time expired.
Utah had a chance to score between the miscues, but a 48-yard field goal attempt by Phillips was wide right.
Early in the third quarter, Michigan’s Allen missed a 44-yard kick. The score remained unchanged until a 14-yard touchdown run by Wilson and a PAT by Phillips increased the Utes’ lead to 17-3 just over four minutes later.
Before the quarter was complete, though, Michigan managed to cut the deficit in half. A 19-yard scoring strike from quarterback Jake Rudock to tight end Jake Butt followed a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Paul on third-and-10. Allen’s PAT cut the gap to 17-10.
The Utes responded in the fourth quarter, but not until after a failed 46-yard field-goal attempt with 10:03 remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Thomas had his 53-yard interception return for a touchdown as Utah went on to regain a much-needed 14-point buffer.
Michigan wound up making things interesting in the last minute. The Wolverines scored a touchdown with 54 seconds to go on a 10-yard pass from Rudock to Amara Darboh. After making the PAT, they were unable to recover an on-side kick.
The Utes ran out the remaining time to prevail. They’ll host Utah State (1-0) next Friday.
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