This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
One streak came to an end for the Utah Utes. The Utes had won their last 49 games when leading at the half, a streak that started with a 45-23 win over UNLV on Oct. 28, 2006.
Only Oregon, with 58 such wins, had a longer streak than the Utes.
Utah led 9-7 at halftime on Saturday, but couldn't hang onto the lead.
"We lost the game in the fourth quarter today," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "I don't have any great answers as to why we were 49-0 other than we made a lot of plays. It certainly came to an end today."
Special teams stand out
Utah won the special teams battle, with kicker Andy Phillips connecting on field goals from 51 and 43 yards out, while punter Tom Hackett boomed punts of 70 and 63 yards.
Phillips' 51-yard field goal in the second quarter was a career best. The freshman is 15 of 18 on the season and is 8 of 10 from 40 yards or longer. His misses were from 40 and 42 yards, while his previous career best was from 48 yards.
Hackett helped the Utes win the field position battle by averaging 50.6 yards on his nine punts.
Scoring opportunity wasted
Utah tried to surprise the Sun Devils by attempting a two-point conversion after its first-quarter touchdown with defensive end Trevor Reilly rushing the ball.
Reilly was stopped short on the play.
Whittingham said the Utes got the look they wanted but just got beat in the one-on-one matchup.
"We didn't convert but we had the numbers we were looking for," he said.
In honor
As part of the "Salute America" theme, the Utes wore helmet decals to honor the nation's military, first responders and veterans. The decals featured the stars and stripes on the Block U.