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The gap between the haves and the almost-haves is narrowing.
It wouldn't be right to say Utah shocked the nation Saturday night in Pasadena, because the nation already knew better than to believe a top-10 team was safe at home against a conference opponent.
Kyle Whittingham asked his Utes before they got on the bus to the Rose Bowl: Are you guys seeing this stuff?
Unranked Arizona beat No. 2 Oregon.
No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 6 Texas A&M all fell. Eleven of the nation's top 19 teams, according to last week's AP poll, were beaten, making way for Utah to enter the poll at No. 24.
"Players, they knew it. I didn't have to tell them there were upsets going on, and we went out and slayed us another giant, just like last year against [No. 5] Stanford," Whittingham said.
Maybe. Maybe it's better than that.
Utah entered the game just 3-10 on the road in the Pac-12. In the past two seasons, the Utes' only conference road win came in the 2012 season finale against 1-11 Colorado.
And the win soothed a fan base in full-on panic mode after a spirited Washington State team seemed to outmuscle the Utes in the final minutes of a 28-27 victory at Rice-Eccles.
As Whittingham noted Saturday, this one was playing out in a bizarrely similar fashion until the Utes, led by backup quarterback Kendal Thompson and apparent workhorse running back Devontae Booker, drove 63 yards to set up a 29-yard Andy Phillips game-winner.
After five games, Utah's identity is taking shape.
Dave Christensen does not have a secret map to the end zone, and Utah's passing game is a work in progress, especially in light of a spate of drops.
In a league where two quarterbacks — WSU's Connor Halliday and Cal's Jared Goff — combined for 1,261 yards, 11 touchdowns and no picks in a single game, Utah may do some counter-programming.
Booker now has 513 yards and four touchdowns — and this after receiving just 31 total carries in Utah's first three games.
Whittingham said after the game that it wasn't the right time to talk about which quarterback is now Utah's starter, but Thompson's agility won raves from Jim Mora and kept the Bruins honest on the read option. Should Utah decide to play more of a grind-it-out, clock control game, it stands to reason that Thompson has a leg up on Travis Wilson in that regard.
Defensively, though, darned if it isn't the same old story.
Utah is averaging a nation-best 5.6 sacks per game, with senior defensive end Nate Orchard leading FBS players with 8.5. Unlike last year, Utah's linebackers and secondary are taking advantage of the mistakes generated by the front four, and Utah is plus-six in turnover margin.
And while Kalani Sitake's defense has once again emerged as Utah's calling card, Utah's special teams — led by Whittingham since Jay Hill left for Weber State — rank among the nation's leaders in virtually every category: punting, kicking, coverage and returning.
Nobody's perfect, as this week proved.
But Utah just might be pretty good.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Saturday night leftovers
Carter in, Carter out • Tevin Carter sat out Utah's loss to Washington State for undisclosed reasons and then started Saturday, getting the Utes on the board with a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown. But then he left the game again, and after spending the latter part of the first half on a stationary bike and jogging while supervised by trainers, we couldn't spot him suited up in the second.
Uhatafe starts • Redshirt freshman Salesi Uhatafe got the start at right guard, his first-ever start. Kyle Whittingham said after the game that the move merely reflected coaches' high opinion of Uhatafe and his progress in his second year. Right guard Isaac Asiata moved to left guard and started in place of senior captain Junior Salt. True freshman defensive tackle Lowell Lotulelei also made his first career start, and freshman strong safety Andre Godfrey played for the first time.
Net worth • Utah ranks No. 1 in the nation in net punting, at 45.2, and that's with punter Tom Hackett having 11 punts downed inside the 10. Hackett had four inside the 11 on Saturday in the Rose Bowl.
Phillips flourishes • The sophomore kicker is 10-for-12, and both of his misses came in rain and wind — once in Ann Arbor and once against Washington State. He also has a tackle and an onside kick recovery.
No. 80 • The win was the 80th for Whittingham, who is 80-40 as head coach. Whittingham also received a $15,000 bonus for Utah's top-25 ranking, and will earn another $75,000 if Utah finishes ranked. —
Utahat Oregon State
P Oct. 16, 8 p.m. MDT
TV • FS1 —
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