3 players who made an impact for Utah against Arizona

Utah football extended its win streak to three games, routing Arizona 45-20 on a rainy night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The Utes’ depth was tested and Utah got contributions from a bevy of players. Here are three players that made an impact in Utah’s win.

Nate Johnson, QB

Nate Johnson, Utah’s four-star freshman quarterback, got his first action of the season in the Arizona game and he made the most of it.

Two touches, two touchdowns.

“It was really fun. I mean, first carry, touchdown. Second carry, touchdown. Just being out there with the guys, being with the team, it was really exciting,” Johnson said.

Johnson showed off his “blazing fast” speed, running for an 8-yard touchdown in the first quarter that put Utah up 14-7 and a 9-yard touchdown in the second quarter that gave Utah a 28-7 lead.

“We were low on running backs as far as healthy running backs, and we were down Dalton (Kincaid) and we were looking for a way to provide some more creative ways to provide a spark, and he sure did that,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “You saw how fast he is; he is the fastest kid on the team. You saw what he did on the track and high school, and he’s got blazing speed, and I think you saw that manifest tonight.”

In the face of numerous injuries on the offensive side of the ball, offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig has been creative in the run game, giving carries to Ja’Quinden Jackson and now letting Johnson run the ball.

Johnson’s package was productive and it may be something we see more of going forward in red-zone scenarios.

“We will see what happens going forward and what Coach Ludwig comes up with, as that was all Coach Ludwig’s brainchild and implementation, and if it looks like something we can hang onto and continue to get mileage out of it, we will do that,” Whittingham said.

Ja’Quinden Jackson, RB

Ja’Quinden Jackson continued his impressive transition from quarterback to running back.

Jackson was Utah’s featured back for the majority of the game, rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries to lead the Utes’ rushing attack.

“He continues to make strides every week and become more comfortable every week in his role and in the entirety of the scope of the position with blitz pickups and the route running,” Whittingham said.

Jackson was easily going to eclipse the 100-yard mark, but early in the third quarter, Arizona forced him to fumble at the goal line and he ended up at the bottom of the pile and went to the locker room with an “upper-body injury,” per Whittingham.

Jackson’s vision was phenomenal and he ran powerfully. On Saturday night, he was undisputedly Utah’s best ball carrier.

Give credit to the offensive line, which played its best game of the season, opening up holes and powering the run game.

“The ball carrying came naturally to him because he had a lot of experience as a running back growing up and also was a quarterback in the shotgun. He did a lot of quarterback run game, but he’s getting a good feel and a lot of confidence in the pass pro and the routes,” Whittingham said.

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Zemaiah Vaughn, CB

Zemaiah Vaughn was a big part of Utah shutting down Arizona’s passing game.

“That was his best game as a Ute. He was making play after play and is a very talented kid. He got great speed, but he’s doing a nice job for a former quarterback who has only been playing corner for a couple of years now,” Whittingham said.

The Wildcats averaged 340 yards per game through the air entering the contest. Utah held them to 231 passing yards on Saturday.

Starting quarterback Jayden de Laura only engineered one touchdown drive.

Vaughn finished with three tackles, three pass breakups and a recovered fumble. He played lockdown defense in coverage all night.

“Really worked harder in practice and after practice, like with the corners, we do releases with each other after practice getting ready for (Arizona) because we know they’re pass-heavy and one of the top offenses throwing the ball,” Vaughn said.