Super Bowl LVI will have plenty of representation from the University of Utah.
Thanks to the Los Angeles Rams rallying from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in Sunday’s NFC championship game, three former Utes will play in the Super Bowl in two weeks.
Two of them — Eric Weddle and Matt Gay — both came up huge in the Los Angeles win.
Gay hit the game-winning 30-yard field goal with 1:49 to play and made a 40-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter, helping the first-time Pro Bowler bounce back from missing a 54-yard field goal attempt in the first half.
Weddle, the 37-year-old who recently came out of retirement, led the Rams with nine tackles — and that included a key tackle for loss on a second-and-1 play near midfield early in the fourth that helped stall a 49ers drive.
Los Angles will play the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI — set for Feb. 13 at 4:30 p.m. MST at the Rams’ SoFi Stadium — after the Bengals rallied from 18 down to beat Kansas City 27-24 in overtime in the AFC championship game.
Here’s a look at every Utah tie headed to Super Bowl LVI, and how Utah ties performed Sunday:
Rams Utah ties headed to Super Bowl LVI
Former Utah safety Eric Weddle came out of retirement at the start of the playoffs and returned to a Los Angeles franchise he spent the 2019 season with. Weddle, a former All-Pro safety, has played a significant role in the Rams’ secondary throughout their postseason run.
Former Utah and Orem High kicker Matt Gay is making his first Super Bowl in his second season with the Rams. The third-year pro earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career and was among the league’s most accurate kickers this season.
Former Utah safety Terrell Burgess has mainly been a special teams ace for Los Angeles in his second season in the league while filling in as necessary on defense.
Former Weber State defensive end Jonah Williams is in his second year with the Rams and spent the year on the practice squad.
Bengals Utah ties headed to Super Bowl LVI
Former Utah State cornerback Jalen Davis played mainly on special teams this season for Cincinnati and hasn’t played in five games after suffering an ankle injury in late December.
Former Timpview High guard Xavier Su’a-Filo spent much of the year on injured reserve before returning to the field recently and landing on Cincinnati’s practice squad.
How Utah ties performed on Sunday
A look at how Utah ties on active rosters performed in Sunday’s AFC and NFC championship games:
Rams 20, 49ers 17
Los Angeles
- Terrell Burgess, S, Utah: Played as a reserve.
- Matt Gay, K, Utah and Orem High: Hit field goals of 40 and 30 yards (the game-winner) after missing a 54-yarder, and also made 2 of 2 extra-point attempts.
- Eric Weddle, S, Utah: Started in the secondary and had a team-high 9 tackles, including 4 solo stops, and a tackle for a loss.
San Francisco
- Fred Warner, LB, BYU: Started at linebacker and had 10 tackles, including 7 solo stops, with 2 tackles for loss — one came on a third down that forced a Rams field goal — and a pass deflection.
- Mitch Wishnowsky, P, Utah: Had five punts for a 37.6-yard average, including three inside the 20 and one that pinned Los Angeles at its own 3.
Bengals 27, Chiefs 24
Cincinnati
- Jalen Davis, CB, Utah State: Did not play.
Kansas City
- Zayne Anderson, S, BYU and Stansbury High: Played as a reserve.
- Marcus Kemp, WR, Layton High: Played as a reserve.
- Daniel Sorensen, S, BYU: Had one tackle.