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Midway through the third quarter, quarterback Travis Wilson had retired to the sideline for good.

He had 11 completions. That was all he needed. Almost every other pass was a touchdown.

Utah's offensive attack shredded its visitors apart Saturday afternoon, as Wilson's five-touchdown day headlined a 59-27 victory over Fresno State. From the opening play — a 41-yard pass — until well after the game was decided, Utah (2-0) passed and ran all over the Bulldogs to stay perfect entering its first bye week.

Most lingering questions left over from a strong but imperfect season-opening victory over Idaho State were answered with authority. Beating down an FBS opponent has a way of instilling confidence.

"I'm really pleased with the offense," said head coach Kyle Whittingham. "The tempo, the execution — just really clean. They played exceptionally clean."

Wilson and his weapons had few flaws in their games: Wilson had a 213.5 passer rating as he tagged his two top receivers, Dres Anderson and Kenneth Scott, for two touchdowns each.

The catches were often dazzling, including a 38-yard reception by Anderson for the Utes' first touchdown, and Scott's sideline juking for a 36-yard score that effectively crushed Fresno State before halftime. Tight end Westlee Tonga even had a 24-yard grab on a fourth-down conversion, fighting through tackles to the end zone.

Offensive coordinator Dave Christensen unveiled more of his vision for Utah's offense, stretching the field with long passes and mixing in effective running from Devontae Booker, Bubba Poole and his quarterbacks. Even after Wilson was done for the day, backup quarterback Kendal Thompson led three touchdown drives in the second half — extra insurance in a satisfying win.

The display of firepower asserted Utah as a team that could come out swinging when it faces Michigan on the road in two weeks.

"We have high standards for ourselves this year," Scott said. "It comes as no surprise to us."

Defense was a strength early, as the Utes were able to score 24 straight points to open the game while Fresno State struggled. A week after allowing some disappointing gains against ISU, Utah's defensive line punished Fresno State starter Brian Burrell, sacking him early and only allowing four net yards in the entire first quarter.

The Bulldogs found momentum under replacement quarterback Brandon Connette, who led three scoring drives and added a degree of difficulty with his runs. But it was too little, too late: The Utes led by as much as 38 in the second half.

On the day, Utah finished with seven sacks from six different players and stonewalled Fresno State's running game for only 55 yards, a much-improved performance from the season's start.

"It just goes back to us looking back at the film," said defensive end Nate Orchard, who also played some linebacker in the game. "Going down to the film room, breaking it down, coaches ripping us — we came up today and corrected our mistakes."

If there were nitpicks to be made, it was in the secondary, particularly when the second-string unit came on. Connette threw for 177 yards and a touchdown, and Burrell had two passing touchdowns in garbage time, including on a 42-yard pass to Greg Watson.

Whittingham said afterward he was a little disappointed to have a bye so early when his offense is running so well, but it may be opportune: Saiosi Aiono and Junior Salt both left the game early and didn't return, and others stepped out for a few plays but did return. Whittingham said the week off could help heal the "bumps and bruises." —

Storylines

R Kenneth Scott and Dres Anderson each snag two scoring receptions.

• Utah leads by as many as 38 points in the second half. —

Utah 59, Fresno State 27

Fresno St. 0 7 7 13 — 27

Utah 17 14 14 14 — 59

First Quarter

Utah • FG Phillips 47, 12:33.

Utah • Scott 7 pass from Wilson (Phillips kick), 8:02.

Utah • Anderson 38 pass from Wilson (Phillips kick), 5:56.

Second Quarter

Utah • Tonga 24 pass from Wilson (Phillips kick), 7:31.

Fre • Micenheimer 2 pass from Connette (Kroening kick), 6:19.

Utah • Scott 36 pass from Wilson (Phillips kick), 4:29.

Third Quarter

Utah • Anderson 5 pass from Wilson (Phillips kick), 9:34.

Utah • K.Thompson 14 run (Phillips kick), 4:37.

Fre • Connette 1 run (Kroening kick), 2:21.

Fourth Quarter

Utah • Lewis 45 pass from K.Thompson (Phillips kick), 13:55.

Fre • Watson 42 pass from Burrell (Kroening kick), 12:23.

Utah • T.McCormick 2 run (Phillips kick), 2:40.

Fre • Watson 4 pass from Burrell, :00.

Attendance • 45,864.

Fre Utah

First downs 24 26

Rushes-yards 40-55 54-258

Passing 283 268

Comp-Att-Int 24-40-0 15-27-0

Return Yards 0 14

Punts-Avg. 8-39.9 5-55.4

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0

Penalties-yards 6-55 12-118

Time of Possession 29:17 30:43

Individual Statistics

Rushing • Fresno St., Waller 15-61, Connette 16-40, L.Williams 1-4, Quezada 3-(minus 4), Burrell 4-(minus 20), Team 1-(minus 26). Utah, K.Thompson 9-71, Booker 10-67, Poole 13-54, Wilson 11-37, T.McCormick 9-22, Anderson 1-6, McClellon 1-1.

Passing • Fresno St., Connette 16-24-0-177, Burrell 8-16-0-106. Utah, Wilson 11-20-0-181, K.Thompson 4-7-0-87.

Receiving • Fresno St., J.Harper 6-83, Peck 4-67, Watson 3-62, Quezada 3-22, Waller 3-6, Root 2-25, Micenheimer 2-4, Scott 1-14. Utah, Scott 6-77, Anderson 3-84, Lewis 1-45, Fakailoatonga 1-26, Tonga 1-24, Patrick 1-13, McClellon 1-3, Poole 1-(minus 4).