Utah’s Offense Not A Factor In Pac-12 Title Game
Nov 30, 2018, 10:42 PM | Updated: 10:43 pm
Byron Murphy #1 and Taylor Rapp #7 of the Washington Huskies hit Solomon Enis #21 of the Utah Utes and forced him to drop the ball during the Pac 12 Championship game at Levi's Stadium on November 30, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – When they needed it the most, the Utah Utes were doomed in the Pac-12 Championship Game by their worst offensive performance of the year.
Gathering just 188 total yards, including just 51 yards on the ground, Utah’s offense was stagnant. Utah’s previous worst offensive games of the year were the near upset to Northern Illinois, where they collected just 68 yards on rushing and the earlier defeat to Washington in which they were held to 261 yards and just one touchdown.
Murphy Caused Major Disruption
The Utes were held without a touchdown in the title game and Washington defensive back Bryon Murphy was the hero. The redshirt freshman outdueled Utah’s redshirt freshman quarterback Jason Shelley, hauling in two of Shelley’s three interception and returning one of them for the game’s only touchdown.
Your 2018 MVP.
Byron Murphy. #PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/rcIHhtneZu
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) December 1, 2018
Utah’s Stars Struggled
Shelley, who hadn’t thrown an interception in his previous three starts struggled in the biggest game of the year. In addition to the three interceptions, he completed just 17-of-27 attempts for 137 yards.
Armand Shyne, who like Shelley, came into the starting role due to injury also had a bad game against the Huskies. He was held to just 37 yards on 11 attempts.
Britian Covey, who left the game with a knee injury, was also kept in check as he hauled in just one pass for six yards and gained just 14 yards on three rushing attempts.
In a highly defensive battle, it was ultimately the Huskies who prevailed in a 10-3 decision.
