Utah Scores 38 Unanswered Points In Comeback Win Over Washington State

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – After trailing 28-7 at the half at home in their season finale, Utah football scored 38 unanswered points to beat Washington State 45-28.

It was the final game of the 2020 season since the players voted to opt out of any bowl game opportunities if they were able to get the win.

Utah held Washington State scoreless in the second half while the offense scored 31 of their 38 second half points.

FINAL

Comeback complete!

Utes finish 2020 season with 3-2 record.#GoUtes #WSUvsUTAH pic.twitter.com/needPNvPcu

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 19, 2020

Poor Start To First Half

The Utes trailed 28-7 at the halftime break and even made a QB change before the half ended. Utah had 5 penalties for 45 yards in the first 30 minutes. Jake Bentley struggled, going 7-of-14 passing for 153 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The touchdown came on a beautiful throw to Britain Covey for a 91-yard score. It is the second longest pass play and tied for the fourth longest play from scrimmage in school history. When Utah got the ball back after their lone TD, down 21-7, Bentley threw a pass to an area that didn’t have a wide receiver. Washington State picked it off and returned it to Utah’s three-yard line. On the next play, the Cougars scored a touchdown to take a 28-7 lead.

9️⃣1️⃣ yards to the 🏠. 👀 #GoUtes #WSUvsUTAHhttps://t.co/o7tNk0Boar

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 19, 2020

Bentley was benched and replaced by senior Drew Lisk. The former Jordan High School star went 4-for-8 passing for 22 yards before halftime.

Down 21 points and looking for a spark. 💥 #GoUtes #WSUvsUTAH https://t.co/WbYJsoWdAZ

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 19, 2020

All in all, Utah had 250 total yards of offense and allowed Washington State to get 288 yards. The Utes also committed two turnovers.

Utah Turn It On In Second Half

The second half was off to a promising start as Utah’s defense forced Washington State to punt on their first possession while the Utes answered with a 5-yard TD by Ty Jordan. After the Cougars punted on their second drive of the half, Bryan Thompson scored his first rushing TD on a sweep from 9-yards out. It was his first career rushing attempt.

.@B_Thompson_1 and @Utah_Football are making a comeback. 🙌 #GoUtes #WSUvsUTAHhttps://t.co/2rZnhDjIA2

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 19, 2020

Utah’s defense held strong once again on Wazzu’s next drive and was forced to punt. When the Utes go the ball back, Lisk led them down the field. Two great plays were made during that series. Just past midfield on third and 9, Lisk flushed out of the pocket and threw a pass towards the sideline to Kuithe who somehow caught it and put one foot inbounds before being pushed out of bounds.

The play was an 8-yard gain. On 4th and one, Jordan ran in his second TD of the game, this time from 33-yards out to tie the game with 12:01 remaining in the game.

2️⃣1️⃣ unanswered. 😏 #GoUtes #WSUvsUTAH https://t.co/HvRBimRrtI

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 19, 2020

With under 7 minutes left in the game, Utah punted for just the second time in the half. Running back Max Borghi ran the ball up field before Vonte Davis laid a hit on his arms to get the ball loose. Clark Phillips III recovered and took it to Washington State’s 13-yard line.

Ty Jordan gave the Utes the lead with a 13-yard touchdown. Utah then kicked a field goal to go up by 10.

Hat trick 🎩 for Ty Touchdown.#GoUtes #WSUvsUTAH https://t.co/c5klPh5NJh

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 19, 2020

Just as Washington State was trying to comeback, Clark Phillips III picked off de Laura and returned it for a 36-yard TD.

.@ClarkPhillips21 got a pick-six and a dub for his birthday. 🎂@Utah_Football beats Wazzu 45-28 to finish the season with a 3-2 record. 🙌#GoUtes #WSUvsUTAHhttps://t.co/IBbOoEr9T7

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 19, 2020

The Utes improved their record to 3-2 on the season. They finished the 2020 campaign with three straight wins.

Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.