Utah’s offense suddenly had life.
After a three-and-out on their first possession at home against Texas Tech Saturday and a turnover on downs on their second, the Utes’ offense appeared to find the end zone and tie the game up on their third possession of the game.
On third-and-5 from the Utah 35-yard line, quarterback Devon Dampier faked the handoff to running back Wayshawn Parker while two-way player Jackson Bennee got behind the Texas Tech defense.
Dampier, throwing off of his back foot, hit Bennee in stride at the Texas Tech 30-yard line, and Bennee ran untouched into the north end zone for a 69-yard touchdown.
The Rice-Eccles Stadium crowd erupted as the Utes tied the game at seven with 4:43 left in the first quarter.
… Or so we thought.
The celebration didn’t last too long before fans and Ute players noticed a flag on the field.
“Ineligible player downfield … No. 55 … offense … five-yard penalty … replay third down,” head referee Michael VanderVelde announced over the stadium loudspeakers.
Offensive tackle Spencer Fano was more than three yards downfield and a referee threw the flag as Dampier’s pass was midair.
Just like that, Rice-Eccles Stadium went from jubilation to devastation.
“That is a mental mistake from Fano because that’s a pass play. They were half rolling the pocket in order to throw the ball on third down. I have no idea why he was extending himself down the field in order to block a linebacker,” analyst Joel Klatt said on the Fox broadcast. “That’s full pass protection, so a real mental error from the right tackle.”
Postgame, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham explained what happened on the play.
“Lineman didn’t hear the call — the entire call — and didn’t realize that it was play action and it was the correct call by the ref,” Whittingham said. “He was, what, eight yards downfield. He was way down there, so yes, miscommunication.”
Later in the drive, receiver Ryan Davis fumbled the ball, and Texas Tech recovered. Utah’s drive, which originally looked like it had ended in a touchdown, finished in a turnover.
Texas Tech didn’t capitalize off the mistake — Utah got the ball right back on a Tao Johnson interception — and certainly it didn’t define the 34-10 loss to Texas Tech, but it sucked some juice out of Utah’s offense, which had struggled to that point.
Utah’s overall lack of offensive execution — from the offensive line to the run game to the pass game — lost the Utes the game, but the 69-yard touchdown that never was ended up being a what-if moment for the Utes’ offense, especially when it never crossed the goal line for the rest of the first half.