Luke Bottari Puts Utah On Board With Rushing TD In First Start

SALT LAKE CITY – Walk-on quarterback Luke Bottari put Utah on the board early with a rushing touchdown against the Colorado Buffaloes.

The score was Bottari’s first in a Utes jersey.

First start and first TD for Luke Bottari 🙌 pic.twitter.com/eEeOcU0HOd

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) November 25, 2023

Utah’s first drive took eight plays and five minutes.

The drive was set up by a fumble forced by Connor O’Toole and recovered by Van Fillinger.

Sack. Fumble. Utah Football 👊 pic.twitter.com/YgPFlseVeD

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) November 25, 2023

All eight plays were rushes. Jaylon Glover, Ja’Quinden Jackson, Sione Vaki, and Bottari all got in on the fun.

RELATED: Utah Quarterback Luke Bottari Expected To Start Against Colorado

Utah led 7-0 with four minutes left in the first quarter.

Three Storylines For Utah Football Vs. Colorado

1. Quarterbacks. By now we’ve all seen the rumors for both Utah and Colorado and it’s seeming more and more likely we will not be seeing Bryson Barnes facing off against Shedeur Sanders. There are a lot of question marks here with the potential to see some interesting things. This is definitely a storyline to follow closely.
2. Flu Bugs & Injuries. The injuries are nothing new at this point for the Utes, but the flu appears to be a fun little twist they have added that they will need to overcome on Saturday. In fact, whatever illness the team has been dealing with certainly didn’t help last week against Arizona either. It is going to be interesting to see who is available. There may be some new faces in the mix we haven’t seen due to one, the other, or both.
3. Senior Day. Utah will be saying good-bye to some familiar faces on Saturday as part of their Senior Day celebration. A few of those faces could ultimately comeback next year. It will be interesting to see who really ends up being gone and who maybe comes back for Utah’s new adventure in the Big 12.

Tomorrow, we honor our seniors 🙌

Be there early for our senior day ceremony, starting at 12:30! @milesbattle2 @keatonbills @Cole_bishop_8 @FureyHayden @LaumeaSataoa @JasonSiaosi @Zipsimmons @VaughnZemaiah @devaughn_vele @TYassmin21 pic.twitter.com/Gp4cpItOLG

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) November 24, 2023

Two Questions Heading Into Colorado Vs. Utah

1. Who Handles Adversity Better One Last Time? Both teams have had seasons that maybe didn’t go according to plan. Both teams have been handed some late-in-the-season adversity to overcome. Who is better equipped to jump over the hurdles and take care of business on Saturday? Utah or Colorado?
2. Can Utah Correct One Last Wrong From The Beginning Of Their Pac-12 Era? Earlier this year the Utes walked away with a win in the Coliseum off a last-minute field goal. A few people pointed out that Utah’s first ever Pac-12 game was at USC and came down to a last-minute field goal that got blocked resulting in a USC win. Could something similar happen against Colorado on Saturday? If you all will recall, Utah would have been heading to their first-ever Pac-12 Championship game their first year if they had just made a field goal against Colorado at home. Can Utah end their Pac-12 era with a win at home over the Buffs?

Utes close out their regular season by taking on Colorado this Saturday as we honor our Seniors! 🙌

⏰ 1 PM MT
📺 @Pac12Network
🎟️ https://t.co/pL7bwJAt8N
🔗 https://t.co/GP7Y0xznMM #GoUtes | @Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/PbyElB04OU

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) November 22, 2023

Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect, give us a follow @kslsports. 

Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.

Take us with you, wherever you go.

Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.

Follow @CHoltSports