Utah beats TCU to remain unbeaten

In a low scoring defensive struggle #8 Utah nipped #12 TCU 13-10 on a last minute TD pass by QB Brian Johnson.   The victory runs Utah’s record to a perfect 10-0, which will all but certainly be 11-0 when they play traditional rival BYU on 11/22 in Salt Lake City.  The Utes face lowly San Diego State before their tilt with the Cougars, and with the Aztecs 1-8 (with their lone victory against 1-AA/FCS Idaho) it’s a matchup that Utah should win with ease.

TCU shot out to a 10-0 first quarter lead on a Ross Evans field goal followed by a Ryan Christian 3 yard touchdown run.  They would not score for the rest of the game as the Utah defense gave up yardage but kept the Horned Frogs off of the scoreboard.  TCU did miss two FG attempts in the 4th quarter that proved to be very costly.

Two field goals by Utah’s PK Louie Sakoda before halftime cut into the TCU lead. After a scoreless 2nd half, Ute QB Johnson took over late in the game and marched his team 80 yards for the decisive score.  His 9 yard TD pass to Freddy Johnson with: 48 seconds remaining staked Utah to the final margin of victory.  TCU last gasp effort fell short with Brian Johnson intercepted TCU QB Andy Dalton to seal the deal for the Utes.

TCU dominated the game statistically, with 416 yards to Utah’s 275.  They held the edge in first downs (20 to 17), rushing yardage (165 to 45), passing yardage (251 to 230) and time of possession (31:44 to 28:16).  Despite their superior output they didn’t translate that to the stat that matters—the one they show on the big scoreboard.

Though it wasn’t a pretty victory, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was pleased with his team’s toughness and ability to scrap to an “ugly” win:

"No one panicked. We just hung in there. Nothing came easy but the guys toughed it out and they came up with big plays each time we needed them."