This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Eugene, Ore. • Traveling in the elevator in the aftermath of Saturday night's game, Oregon staff remarked on how much easier than usual it would be to clean the club level at Autzen Stadium.
For once, it had been long empty.
The only people sticking around to savor this evening wore red, buoyed by one of the most confidence-inspiring events in the history of Utah's program. More than one commented that it had seemed like a dream.
Quarterback Travis Wilson watched the final drive from one knee, explaining later that Utah's 62-20 victory over Oregon was "something to really soak in."
Asked to describe what he was feeling, linebacker Gionni Paul told reporters he wanted to yell.
Receiver Britain Covey — with the knack for finding the right word that he's shown for finding the end zone — called it "surreal."
You can pinch yourself all you want, but it really happened.
Utah beat the spread by 53.5 points, at one point scoring 42 straight against the heavily favored Ducks. It was the highest output ever by an opponent at Autzen, and the widest margin of victory by a visiting team since 1977.
From the team that had never won a Pac-12 opener.
Explained Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich: "They can run the ball, they can stop the run, and they have great special teams. That combination is pretty tried and true in football."
Sunday morning, national media wondered if Utah should receive consideration as a possible contender for a College Football Playoff berth, going from Cactus Bowl to Rose Bowl in the too-early projections.
The No. 10 Utes, ranked higher than they have ever been by this point in the season, received a first-place vote in the AP poll from the Knoxville News Sentinel's John Adams and a second-place nod from San Jose Mercury News writer Jon Wilner, who famously bases his ballot on what each team has accomplished during the season in question.
Utah's season opener looks more impressive given that the No. 22 Wolverines have thumped Oregon State, UNLV and BYU in consecutive weeks, and the Pac-12 South also seems eminently winnable as Arizona State, Arizona and USC own early conference losses.
The locker room celebration Saturday was "something else," said Caleb Repp, who scored touchdowns on his first career receptions. "Because, you know, it's Oregon."
But after composing himself for media, Kyle Whittingham was measured, calling it "a nice road win for our team." He did admit when he was pressed that "it's up there" among his favorite moments.
In terms of shock value, few compare.
The Ducks have been ranked since 2009 — previously beaten this year, sure, but only by the nation's No. 2 team, by a field goal, at their place.
The 106th straight Autzen sellout looked nothing like it midway through the third. Said Repp: "You could kind of see sections just missing."
By the fourth quarter, Repp said, the few remaining stuck out so much that their faces were becoming familiar.
Whittingham's most comparable win may have been a 44-6 rout of No. 11 UCLA, in 2007. Of his Pac-12 triumphs, it recalled beating No. 5 Stanford in 2013.
Both times Utah followed with a letdown, losing 27-0 at UNLV and 35-24 at Arizona, respectively.
Obviously, that won't do against No. 24 Cal. Utah will need to return from its bye week — players get a week off practice — with the same determination.
But Kenneth Scott, part of a maligned passing attack that was often pinpointed as Utah's limiting factor before springing to life in Eugene, said the confidence has always been there.
"All week, we knew that we could beat them."
Is Utah really that good? History will get its turn to place this win its proper context. In this moment, everything is changed.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Utah notes
• Coach Kyle Whittingham said after the game that he expects to have senior wideout Tim Patrick and junior defensive end Hunter Dimick back in the fold when Utah hosts Cal on Oct. 10. Both Patrick and Dimick made the trip but did not suit up for the Utes on Saturday.
• Utah junior cornerback Cory Butler-Byrd made his debut on offense for the Utes, where they originally thought he might play heading into fall camp. He was targeted on a deep pass by Travis Wilson that was broken up by freshman corner Ugo Amadi.
• The "decoy" punt return, in which true freshman Britain Covey acted like he was fielding an impossible high punt while Boobie Hobbs broke from the line of scrimmage to field the punt and return it 69 yards for a score, was the first return for a score against the Ducks in 100 games.