This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Tempe, Ariz. • Troy Williams had been waiting for it for 16 minutes.
He was playing tight, throwing off-target. His feet looked jittery. To that point, he had 25 yards passing on five completions, led two drives ending in fumbles, and was in a 13-0 hole.
Then Raelon Singleton came open, as Williams and Utah's coaching staff had anticipated. The throw wasn't perfect, but Singleton held strong against the Arizona State cornerback, stayed on his feet after the catch, and loped downfield for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Once the pass was complete, the game — and the tone of Utah's play — changed completely.
"My confidence has always been high, but after that it went through the roof," Williams said. "I was able to go out after that and have fun."
The final 44 minutes looked plenty fun for No. 13 Utah (8-2, 5-2), which wound up burning a hole in the Sun Devils' defense for a 49-26 win in Tempe — a place where Utah hadn't won since 1976.
Credit it to preparation. Not just the bye week. Think years.
Needing to win out to ensure a Pac-12 South title, Utah formulated a game plan this week out of lessons from Arizona State games past. Since losing a 19-16 overtime game in their last visit to Sun Devil Stadium, Utah tweaked its preparation specifically to be able to face down ASU and beat its blitz-heavy defense.
Thursday's victory was a reflection of what happens for Utah when strong planning coincides with finally getting healthy: a blowout against a program that used to give it problems.
"Everything that we prepared for ... was what we faced," Whittingham said of Arizona State. "It carries over. They don't change much. They believe in what they're doing and they do it well. They do not have huge deviations from what they do."
Utah's early execution on offense sent chills into fans. The first play of the game was a snap directly into Williams' helmet after center Nick Nowakowski reacted early to ASU's defensive line movement. The Utes fumbled again soon after on a failed option, then hit two straight three-and-outs.
But just as the offense was hitting a low, the Utes looked out for the vulnerabilities they had seen on film: ASU's secondary was and is the worst in the Pac-12, and the Utes felt the Sun Devil corners would be vulnerable to the size and speed of Utah's receiving group.
That started working when Singleton opened things up with one of the longest catches of the year. It continued as Williams accumulated 190 yards on 10 completions in the second quarter alone, along with a season-high three touchdown passes. Utah's passing game wasn't completely reliant on Tim Patrick, as it has often been the case this year. Going to Singleton and Saiosi Wilson downfield, Williams also had Cory Butler-Byrd in the flat when ASU brought pressure.
The similarities between last year's win over the Sun Devils and Thursday's were eerie: Williams passed for only one fewer yard than Travis Wilson did in 2015. Like Devontae Booker's two late touchdown runs of 25 or more yards, Joe Williams also broke out for two long scores late.
It also helped that Utah's offensive line blocked as well as it ever has against Todd Graham's blitzing defense. While giving up five sacks a year ago, the Utes "O-Block" gave up only one on Thursday in what started as a raucous home atmosphere.
Planning was also apparent on the defensive side, where Utah racked up a season-high 11 sacks on quarterback Manny Wilkins. It was when plays broke down and players scrambled, or when ASU ran gadget plays, that Utah was caught off-guard. But when the Sun Devils developed plays conventionally, they were often stuffed.
Utah smashed the program record for tackles for a loss with 22, coming just one shy of the NCAA record. The Utes also set a school record for sack yards in a game (80), and Hunter Dimick tied the program record with 27 sacks in his career, as well as a nation-leading 12 this season.
A lot of it had to do with Utah's defensive backs being in position: Aided by Marcus Williams' return, the secondary covered well on most plays, despite giving up big yard totals when Wilkins was able to keep plays alive.
"It was the defensive backs, and consequently, when that happens, we are able to get there and make plays," Dimick said. "A huge thanks to the defensive backs. They played great."
It wasn't the prettiest game or the best execution, but the Utes' attention to, and faith in, the game plan helped make it work. And they're hoping with the same approach against Oregon and Colorado in coming weeks, that level of detail will bring them the success they crave.
kgoon@sltrib.com Twitter: @kylegoon —
No. 13 Utah 49, Arizona St. 26
Utah 0 21 7 21 — 49
Arizona St. 13 7 6 0 — 26
First Quarter
ASU • FG Z.Gonzalez 24, 7:18
ASU • Ballage 2 run (Z.Gonzalez kick), 4:09
ASU • FG Z.Gonzalez 36, :40
Second Quarter
UTH • Singleton 64 pass from Tr.Williams (Phillips kick), 13:43
UTH • S.Wilson 27 pass from Tr.Williams (Phillips kick), 10:13
ASU • Harry 31 run (Z.Gonzalez kick), 3:36
UTH • Singleton 17 pass from Tr.Williams (Phillips kick), :22
Third Quarter
UTH • J.Williams 82 run (Phillips kick), 9:41
ASU • T.White 12 pass from Wilkins (run failed), 2:02
Fourth Quarter
UTH • Singleton 24 pass from Tr.Williams (Phillips kick), 11:48
UTH • Hansen 34 interception return (Phillips kick), 5:46
UTH • J.Williams 40 run (Phillips kick), 3:09
Attendance • 48,220.
UTH ASU
First downs 22 18
Rushes-yards 22-201 47-41
Passing 296 355
Comp-Att-Int 21-37-0 20-32-2
Return Yards 21 110
Punts-Avg. 4-48.25 7-38.85
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0
Penalties-yards 7-60 8-75
Time of Possession 23:54 36:06
Individual Statistics
Rushing • Utah, J.Williams 15-181, Tr.Williams 4-12, Moss 1-11, (Team) 2-(minus 3). Arizona St., Ballage 15-46, Harry 1-31, Ralston 5-15, Richard 6-2, Gammage 1-0, Sterling-Cole 2-(minus 11), Wilkins 17-(minus 42).
Passing • Utah, Tr.Williams 21-37-0-296. Arizona St., Harry 1-1-0-46, Wilkins 19-31-2-309.
Receiving • Utah, Butler-Byrd 7-72, Singleton 4-116, Patrick 3-47, S.Wilson 3-35, Handley 2-13, J.Williams 1-12, Moeai 1-1. Arizona St., Harry 8-114, Ballage 7-118, Gammage 2-68, T.White 2-50, Kohl 1-5.
Missed Field Goals • None.
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Oregon at No. 13 Utah
P Nov. 19, TBD
TV • TBD