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Las Vegas • Kyle Whittingham had hoped for a later bowl and a team that more closely resembled the one that started 6-0 — the one that had been unusually healthy through fall camp and then the first half of the season.
But in Saturday's 35-28 Las Vegas Bowl victory, the Utes were as close to full strength as they have been for weeks.
Senior wideout Kenneth Scott played despite injuring his foot against Colorado. True freshman wideout Britain Covey played through an ankle injury — his final game as a Ute until 2018, given that he plans to embark on a two-year LDS mission this spring.
And while Whittingham said both were limited, Utah's health may have been more apparent on defense.
BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall noted how quickly Utah's pass rushers were in the face of freshman passer Tanner Mangum.
It may have been no small coincidence that Utah junior defensive end Hunter Dimick logged his first significant action since he injured his shoulder against USC — recording his third sack after totaling 10 as a sophomore — and that Utah had a full rotation of four defensive tackles as sophomore Filipo Mokofisi showed no signs of being hobbled.
Hackett's heroics
Friday night on Fremont Street, Utah senior punter Tom Hackett told revelers that this was Utah's world, and BYU was living in it.
It was BYU's world for the final three quarters, drastically outgaining the Utes as they clawed back from 35-0 to 35-28. But Utah retained Hackett's claim in large part due to the efforts of the two-time Ray Guy Award winner.
Hackett averaged almost 50 yards on his six punts, including punts downed at the 2- and 3-yard lines.
He also moved to 4 for 4 in his career on fake punts, rushing 21 yards for a first down on fourth-and-7 from deep inside Utah territory to move the chains and burn more valuable time in the second half.
Lotulelei to return
First-team All-Pac-12 defensive tackle Lowell Lotulelei joined the Utes a year after graduating from Bingham, making him, despite being just a true sophomore, eligible for the NFL draft.
Saturday, standing in the end zone as children lined up to take photos with him, Lotulelei said he plans to spend at least one more year at the U. before he joins his brother, Star, in the league.
"I'm just getting ready to go to the offseason and prepare for next year," he said.
Harper on hand
National League MVP Bryce Harper, a Las Vegas native, was at the game. He is close friends with Utah backup quarterback Kendal Thompson, who played receiver Saturday and caught one pass for eight yards.
Twitter: @matthew_piper