#10 Utah Football Falls In Road Battle At #12 Oregon, 20-17

EUGENE, Ore. – The No. 10 University of Utah Football program battled to the final possession in a top-15 matchup in Autzen Stadium, but fell to the No. 12 Oregon Ducks, 20-17. Utah is 8-3 overall and 6-2 in Pac-12 play.

After trailing by 14 at halftime, Utah rallied from behind with a scoop and score by the defense and a key rushing score by the offense to tie things up 17-17 with 2:39 remaining in the third quarter. Unfortunately for the Utes, it would be their last score of the game with Oregon finding a way to score on a 41-yard field goal early in the fourth to seal the victory.

The Utes produced 326 yards of total offense against the Ducks, including 170 passing yards and 156 on the ground. Utah held Oregon to 346 yards of total offense with just 59 coming in its rushing game, but Utah's inability to find rhythm on offense slowed the Utes against the Ducks on the road.

GAME LEADERS
Quarterback Cameron Rising was 21-of-38 passing for 170 yards (0 TD, 3 INT), also rushing for 43 yards on seven carries (6.1 ypc). Dalton Kincaid was once again his favorite target with the tight end recording 11 catches for 99 yards with Devaughn Vele also contributing five receptions for 42 yards.

Defensive end Gabe Reid led the Utes on defense with a season-best eight stops (1.5 TFL) while his younger brother, Karene Reid, adding seven tackles and his first-career fumble return for a touchdown (11 yds). Cole Bishop also had six tackles with Clark Phillips III adding two tackles, two pass breakups and his sixth interception of the season.

FIRST QUARTER BREAKDOWN
The Utes struggled to slow down the Ducks on their first offensive drive of the game with Oregon finding the end zone at 10:56 mark in the first quarter. The Ducks scored on a 10-yard rushing score on the backend of a 10-play, 79-yard drive to give them the 7-0 lead.

Utah found its way onto the scoreboard with 1:09 remaining in the quarter after having to settle on a field goal. A big third-down conversion by Kincaid on a 14-yard catch kept the drive alive, but the Utes would eventually turn to Jadon Redding for a season-long 45-yard field goal to cut the Oregon lead to 10-3.

SECOND QUARTER BREAKDOWN
Utah started the second quarter with a  big play on defense after Zemaiah Vaughn forced a fumble with Bishop recovering, giving the Utes the ball on the Oregon 50-yard line. Unfortunately, the Utes would turn the ball over on the first play of their drive with the Ducks marching down field for a 52-yard scoring drive that ended with a four-yard passing touchdown to give them a 14-3 advantage.

After the Utes were once again unsuccessful in finding the end zone, Oregon extended its lead to 17-3 with just 18 seconds remaining in the first half, scoring on a 30-yard field goal. Utah was only able to produce 134 yards of total offense in the first half, including just 57 yards rushing through two quarters.

THIRD QUARTER BREAKDOWN
Utah's defense made it a one-possession game to start the third quarter after Reid came up with a clutch fumble return on a missed hand-off by the Oregon offense, returning it 11 yards to the end zone. It was Utah's first scoop and score since 2020, cutting the Ducks' lead to 17-10 with 13:14 on the clock.

The Utes went on to tie the game with 2:39 to go in the third quarter, thanks to a 14-play drive that included three third down conversions with two coming from the legs of Tavion Thomas. The 86-yard scoring drive ended with Jaylen Dixon breaking free down the sideline for an 18-yard rushing touchdown to tie things up 17-17.

FOURTH QUARTER BREAKDOWN
Oregon opened the fourth quarter by putting three points between themselves and the Utes, converting on a 41-yard field goal to give them a 20-17 lead with 11:17 remaining in the game. Connor O'Toole came up with a key tackle on a third-and-10 on the Utah 24-yard line, forcing the Ducks to go for the field goal while keeping them out of the end zone.

Phillips would pick off the Oregon quarterback to get the ball back to Utah on the Utah 26-yard line with under six minutes to play, but the Utes would throw an interception on their next drive with Oregon regaining possession with 4:15 on the clock.

The Utes forced a quick three-and-out that included an integral pass breakup on a third-nad-12 from Vaughn, with Utah taking back over on their own 24-yard line with 3:14 remaining in the game. Utah drove to its own 50-yard line, but was unable to convert on fourth down with Oregon running out the clock for the win.

UP NEXT
The Utes will play their final regular season game on the road, heading to Boulder, Colo., on Saturday, Nov. 26 against the Colorado Buffaloes. The game time and TV network designation will be announced Sunday morning.