‘Very disappointing end’: Utah trampled by Texas in very forgettable Alamo Bowl

SAN ANTONIO — On the first Friday of December, the University of Utah football team was in prime position to make something special happen — or even more special than the fun 11 wins they’d already compiled.

The Utes had won eight straight games to win the Pac-12 South Division. They had climbed to a best-ever College Football Playoff ranking of No. 5. And they were one victory over Oregon away from a spot in the semifinals or from receiving a first-ever invitation to the Rose Bowl.

Unfortunately for Utah, a sweet dream of a season had a nightmare ending as a team so full of confidence lost its composure.

The Utes followed their disappointing loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 title game with a punch-to-the-gut 38-10 blowout loss Tuesday night in the Alamodome to a Texas team that entered the Alamo Bowl with just seven wins.

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“It was a very disappointing end to a very good season,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.

The most disappointing part might have been that the December Utes didn’t really resemble the squad that manhandled and overpowered most opponents, especially on the defensive end.

Case in point: Texas rushed for 231 yards against the nation’s stingiest rush defense; gained 438 total yards, which was 172 more than the No. 3 defense normally allows; and scored more than any other team had against the Utes all season.

“That’s a really talented team, the University of Utah. They won 11 games for a reason,” Texas coach Tom Herman said. “We knew we were going to have to play with a great passion and greater physicality than they did, and I’m really proud of our guys for doing that.”

The Longhorns, whom Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said were likely the most talented 8-5 team in the country, also dominated on the defensive side. The Utes scored 24 fewer points than their average and just couldn’t put together sustained drives or adequately give quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss the time and space to do what they do best.

“I just felt like they was just playing a little bit harder than us,” Huntley said. “They stopped us on key downs, third downs, fourth down, and that’s what happened.”

Moss, Utah’s all-time leading rusher, only gained 57 yards rushing on 16 attempts, while the usually super-efficient Huntley only passed for 126 yards (on 15 of 23 passing) and got sacked five times.

“We brang a ton of juice,” said Texas linebacker Joseph Ossai, who had three sacks. “Enough juice to fill this whole stadium.”

That energy was there in all three areas, too — so much so that Texas is the team that looked like it was stacked with All-American players.

Quarterback Sam Ehlinger threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns on 12 of 18 passing and rushed for 77 yards and a score, while running back Keaontay Ingram rushed for 111 yards and scored two TDs.

The Longhorns also got a huge boost from their special teams, including a 71-yard punt return by D’Shawn Jamison that set up their first touchdown.

Texas moved the ball fairly easily down the field on the opening drive, but the Utes stiffened up their defense and held the Longhorns to a 29-yard field goal.

“It was a very disappointing end to a very good season.” — Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham

Playing in front of a very partisan crowd — Austin is just 80 miles away — the Texas squad pushed the score to 10-0 after Jamison’s huge return off a 49-yard punt by Ute freshman Ben Lennon gave the Longhorns the ball at the 6.

“It’s a shame we didn’t finish stronger,” Whittingham said after his team ended with an 11-3 record, marking just the third time the Utes have won 10 or more games. “Nobody’s happy in our locker room. Everybody’s disappointed.”

It only got worse in the second half for the Utes.

Ossai caught up to Huntley and tackled him for a loss on a fourth-down play on the opening possession of the third quarter. Three plays later, Ehlinger connected with Ingram for an 11-yard touchdown pass play and a 17-0 lead.

Utah finally showed some offensive spark before settling for a 32-yard Jadon Redding field goal after a 60-yard drive stalled.

That momentum didn’t last long. Texas put together a 75-yard drive in just seven plays to go ahead 24-3 after a 6-yard TD run by Ehlinger.

Two members of the now-famous Hallandale High Trio gave Utah one last burst of hope as Huntley capped a 75-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown toss to his old Miami-area teammate Demari Simpkins.

Less than four minutes later, however, Texas had scored two more touchdowns — a 15-yard hookup between Ehlinger and Devin Duvernay and a 49-yard run by Ingram — to give the majority of the 60,147 in attendance even more to cheer about on this New Year’s Eve.

“That certainly felt like a home game,” Herman admitted.

On the other hand, it felt like a disaster of a trip to the Alamo area the visitors would rather not remember.

GAME NOTES: Utah running back Zack Moss was given the Fred Jacoby Sportsmanship Award, while Texas QB Sam Ehlinger was named Offensive MVP and linebacker Joseph Ossai earned Defensive MVP honors. ... Utah coach Whittingham dropped to 11-3 in bowl games, but he remains ranked fifth in NCAA history in bowl win percentage at .786. ... Texas is now 2-0 all-time against Utah, with the other win (21-12) coming in Austin in 1982. ... Quarterback Jason Shelley logged some time in the defensive backfield, previewing a likely move for the future.