No. 7 Utes Hold Sixth Opponent Under 10 Points In Win Over Arizona

TUSCON, Ariz. – For the sixth time in 11 games this season, the Utah Utes’ defense has held their opponents to under 10 points. The sixth time was against Arizona in their 35-7 win.

The defense held Arizona to 0 points until the Wildcats’ final drive of the game when the backups were in for Utah and quarterback Grant Gunnell ran in a 7-yard touchdown.

They held the Wildcats to 196 yards of total offense (135 passing, 61 rushing) and 11 first downs. Utah was able to hold their own on third down, allowing Arizona to covert twice on third down on 12 attempts and forced two turnovers on downs.

Linebacker Francis Bernard led the team with eight tackles, including seven solo tackles and one tackle for loss. Bradlee Anae finished with seven tackles and one sack. The other opponents that were held to under 10 points include Idaho State (31-0), Oregon State (52-7), Arizona State (21-3), California (35-0) and UCLA (49-3).

Arizona used two quarterbacks throughout the game with Gunnell getting the start. He completed 8 of his 16 attempts for 96 yards. Khalil Tate recorded just 39 passing yards on 6-11 passing. In their rushing attack, J.J. Taylor was held to 33 yards on 10 attempts. Six other players had rushing attempts but didn’t get more than seven yards.

Make that six opponents held under 10 points this season. Utes win! #goutes #LightTheU pic.twitter.com/dDXpW3xd7b

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) November 24, 2019

Earlier in the game, Utah scored on their first two drives with a pair of 3-yard touchdowns, the first from tight end Brant Kuithe on a jet sweep and a pass from quarterback Tyler Huntley to wide receiver Demari Simpkins.

Utah wasn’t able to get a score in the second quarter but added two more touchdowns in the third with a 41-yard rushing touchdown by running back Zack Moss and another score on the ground by Kuithe. Backup running back T.J. Green scored his first career touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Huntley went 19-23 passing for 211 yards, one touchdown and one interception, just his second of the season. Moss finished with a season-high 203 rushing yards, nine shy of his career-high. He ran the ball 26 times, into the end zone once and broke two more school records. Moss surpassed 1,000 rushing yards this season for the third straight year and is the first Utah running back to do so in their career. He also passed Tony Lindsay for the most career rushing attempts when he ran the ball for the 649th time.

Kuithe had 4 receptions for 81 yards and ran the ball twice for 9 yards and two touchdowns. Utah racked up 517 yards of total offense (220 passing, 297 rushing). They had 28 first downs and converted on third down six times in 11 attempts. The only downside for the Utes was committing 11 penalties for 110 yards.

Utah improved to 10-1 overall and 7-1 in Pac-12 play. They will clinch a spot in the Pac-12 Championship game with a win at home over Colorado on Saturday in their regular season finale. The game will kickoff at 5:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ABC.

The Crimson Corner podcast is the one-stop for all things University of Utah Athletics hosted by Utah insider Trevor Allen. Ute fans will find interviews with current players, coaches, and staff alongside expert analysis of every game, story and angle coming out of the University of Utah.

You can download and listen to the podcast, here.