SALT LAKE CITY — Utah put up 501 total yards in its blowout 54-16 victory over the San Jose Spartans on Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The win makes the Utes 3-0 on the season prior to their Pac-12 opener against Arizona next Friday night.

Scoring recap

The Utes got off to a shaky start in the first quarter. Not able to find the end zone, Utah settled for field goals throughout the quarter. On the first drive, Matt Gay hit a 21-yard field goal to put Utah on the board, 3-0. The next drive, he nailed a 56-yarder to push the Utes' lead to 6-0. The Spartans finally got on the board late in the first when Bryce Crawford hit a 24-yard field goal to make it 6-3. After the Utes’ defense recovered a Spartans fumble, Utah settled for another field goal to give Utah a 9-3 lead.

Things started to click in the second quarter when Tyler Huntley connected with Darren Carrington II to give Utah its first touchdown of the night, a 7-yard pass that put Utah up 16-3. The next drive, Huntley found Carrington again on a 26-yard pass for another touchdown for the Utes, making it 23-3. Utah added another touchdown after running back Zack Moss rushed 5 yards into the end zone to make it 30-3. With less than a minute left in the first half, the Spartans finally reached the end zone after quarterback Josh Love found Bailey Gaither for a 47-yard bomb, making the score 30-13.

The Utes were able to score another touchdown late in the third quarter. Huntley threw his third touchdown pass of the night when he connected with Raelon Singleton for 13 yards, making it 37-13 heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, the Spartans scored first after Crawford hit a 38-yard field goal to make it 37-16. Huntley threw his fourth touchdown pass of the night, finding Carrington for the third time into the end zone to make it 44-16. Gay then nailed a 20-yard field goal the next drive to add three more points. The Utes sealed the 54-16 win on a 10-yard run by Devonta’e Henry-Cole with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter.

Utah’s three stars

  • Tyler Huntley/Darren Carrington II

After throwing for 341 yards — his second straight 300-yard passing game — and four touchdowns against the Spartans, Huntley is looking more confident every snap of the ball. The last time a Ute quarterback threw for over 300 yards in back-to-back games was Brian Johnson in 2008. He’s already found his go-to target, especially in the end zone in Carrington. Carrington had nine catches for 153 yards and three touchdowns. With those two connecting well together, after the game the ex-Oregon Duck made a bold statement, comparing Huntley to his former teammate Marcus Mariota. That’s not a bad compliment, comparing him to the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner and now starting QB for the Tennessee Titans.

  • Boobie Hobbs
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Special teams has been one of the Utes’ strength on the field. Hobbs was electric on punt return with his jittering quickness and breakaway speed. Despite not taking it to the house, the senior defensive back returned the ball three times for 95 yards. His longest was 43 yards and he averaged 31.7 yards per game.

  • Matt Gay

One game after Gay went 4-for-4 on field goal attempts against BYU, the soccer player turned football star once again showed off his leg strength. Seven minutes into the first quarter, Gay nailed a 56-yard field goal, only three yards shy of tying the program record for longest field goal in a game. The record is held by Marv Bateman in 1971. It doesn’t stop there. The next drive he kicked a 50-yard field goal to extend the Utes' lead to 9-0. Gay is 10-for-10 on field goals this season.

Up next

The Utes will open Pac-12 play on the road against Arizona next Friday. The Wildcats are 2-1 coming off a blowout win over UTEP. Their only loss was against Houston in Week 2. The Wildcats are led by their quarterback Brandon Dawkins, who’s not only the team's leading passer (422 yards and four TDs) but leading rusher as well (251 rushing yards and five touchdowns).

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