Three Takeaways From Utah’s Regular Season Finale Win Over Colorado

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The University of Utah won their eighth straight game and clinched the Pac-12 South Division with a 45-15 win over the Colorado Buffaloes.

After trailing 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, the No. 6 Utes bounced back to outscore Colorado 45-8 in the final three quarters.

S O U T H C H A M P S pic.twitter.com/2iHQmBCEjd

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) December 1, 2019

Here is the Crimson Corner’s “three point stance” from Utah’s win over the Buffaloes.

Bradlee Anae Tied With Hunter Dimick

Utah defensive end Bradlee Anae has at least two more games to break the school record currently held by both Anae and Hunter Dimick with 29 career sacks. The senior recorded 1.5 sacks in the win over Colorado and made some key plays to help Utah shift the momentum to their side in the final three quarters of the game.

As a freshman in 2016, Anae had two sacks in six games played. In 2017 as a sophomore, he started 10 games and racked up 7 sacks. Last season was the breakout year for Anae with 8 sacks, leading the Pac-12 and was named first team All-Pac-12.

This season, the senior has 12.5 sacks, averaging 1 sack per game and is in second place in the Pac-12. Anae has been named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the week once and Defensive Lineman of the Week twice. His decision to return to Utah for his senior season rather than jumping to the NFL has been a game changer for the Utes.

“I’m just grateful and I would’ve liked to break it tonight but that wasn’t the case,” Anae said after the game when he almost broke the record. “The stats had me at half a sack with that second one but that’s all good and I’m just grateful.”

Brant Kuithe Is A Treasure

In the last three games, Utah tight end Brant Kuithe has been a pleasant surprise. Last week in their win over Arizona, Kuithe ran in two touchdowns. Against Colorado, he caught three passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Also, he ran the ball twice for 59 yards and another score.

Kuithe is a very athletic and quick tight end, who can be used in many different ways in the offense. He has the ability to catch the ball in traffic and can be used in the run game. The sophomore leads the team with 6 receiving touchdowns on the season.

KuiTHREE. That’s 3 TDs for @Brantkuithe14.

Ya know, for those of you keeping track at home.

45-15, Utes pic.twitter.com/hKppKOHkJN

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) December 1, 2019

“I always knew I could do what I’ve been doing it was just a matter of getting the opportunity and making plays in space,” Kuithe said after the Colorado game. “Just credit to all of the guys on the offensive line. Everybody out there on the field and it’s not just me, it’s 10 other guys so credit to them as well.”

He was a big part of Utah’s momentum swing in the second quarter when they started to take over the game.

Utes Set Up To Win Pac-12

After another convincing win for the Utes and their 8th straight victory, Utah has all of the makings of going to Santa Clara, California and beating the Oregon Ducks. The Utes have dominated the Pac-12 in the regular season with their only loss coming against the USC Trojans in the Pac-12 opener, the Utes have been dominant in the rest of the games.

Oregon was playing just as well as Utah until they suffered their first conference loss last week to Arizona State, who lost five straight games entering the matchup.

The game will be intense and exciting as two teams fight for a spot in the Rose Bowl and for Utah, potentially a chance to play in the College Football Playoff.

The Utes finished the regular season with an 11-1 overall record and an 8-1 mark in Pac-12 play. They will face the Oregon Ducks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California for the Conference Championship. The game will be played on Friday at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ABC.

Oregon beat the Oregon State Beavers 24-10 to put their record at 10-2 and 8-1 in conference play.

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