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Santa Clara, Calif. • As the fourth quarter unfolded Wednesday night and Indiana took a one-point lead, Utah kicker Andy Phillips realized the Foster Farms Bowl might come down to a field goal — "which got me excited," Phillips said.
His eagerness was justified. Phillips concluded his college career with his fourth field game of the game, a 27-yarder with 1:24 remaining in the Utes' 26-24 victory at Levi's Stadium.
Phillips was so confident about making what he labeled "a nice, little chip shot" that when Ute coach Kyle Whittingham asked him where he wanted the ball positioned on the field, he said he didn't care.
So the Utes had backup quarterback Tyler Huntley run a sweep to the right side on a fourth-and-goal play from the Indiana 10, gaining just a yard and giving Phillips a mildly difficult angle.
But he drilled the kick, which came on the 100th attempt of his career. He made 84 of those kicks, including a season-long 48-yarder in the third quarter Wednesday. Phillips also hit from 30 and 41 yards in his final collegiate game, rewarding Utah's offense for a 470-yard production.
"Andy's been great for us, ever since he took over the starting kicking job," Whittingham said.
That was in the opening game of his freshman season of 2013. Phillips departs as the school's all-time leader in scoring with 427 points.
Prior to Wednesday, Phillips' only game-winning opportunity came in 2014 at UCLA, where he made a 29-yarder with 34 seconds remaining in a 30-28 win.
During an Indiana timeout, as he prepared for his last kick, Phillips was encouraged by "90 percent" of his teammates on the sideline. "They let me know how much faith they had in me," he said. "That's huge for the psyche of a kicker."
Long snapper Chase Dominguez and holder Mitch Wishnowsky did their jobs, and Phillips came through in a moment he described as "a lot of fun."
The Ute defense made the 26-24 lead stand up, with linebacker Kavika Luafatasaga hitting Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow as he tried to throw the final pass on a play that started at the Hoosiers' 48-yard line. The ball fluttered a few yards through the air. When it hit the ground, Phillips' game-winning status became official.
It was a rewarding finish for a kicker who played through toe and knee injuries, believing he deserved to have a full senior season after coming back for one more year of football at age 27.
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