This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
The week before, it was three and a score.
This week, Utah's defense will settle for three.
Two games into the season, this seems certain: When the Utes win the turnover battle, they win the game. And they have a hardscrabble defense to thank for a 2-0 record after a grittier-than-expected game against Utah State.
For the second straight game, an interception clinched it.
Gionni Paul needed every inch of his fingers as he leapt for an interception, a tipped ball that had wobbled out of a Utah State receiver's hands. The turnover with 2:58 left as Utah's defense was backing near its own end zone effectively ended Utah State's attempts to come back from a 24-14 deficit in front of a roaring Rice-Eccles crowd of 46,011.
Paul wasn't supposed to be in position for the catch: In Utah's scheme, he was supposed to let the crossing route pass him. But something he saw from Chuckie Keeton made him move, putting him in position for the catch.
"I read the quarterback's eyes a lot," he said. "I saw where his eyes were going."
Paul nearly put the finishing move on the Aggies four minutes earlier as he dove for a fumble recovery after Pita Taumoepenu's strip and sack. The Utes got the ball with the potential for a game-sealing drive, but a 3-and-out put the defense on alert again.
Luckily, Paul was ready, adding the two turnovers to his seven-tackle evening. He acquitted himself well, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said, after drawing two devastating personal fouls against Michigan.
"I don't know how many tackles he made," Whittingham said. "He's a tough, active kid."
The cost of Friday's win is potentially high for the defense: Defensive end Hunter Dimick, the team's top returning sack man, left in the first half with a leg injury. After the game, the junior was in street clothes with a wrap around his leg.
It was a rugged game for nicks and bruises. Others went out at various times, including Paul and Jared Norris. But in rivalry games, there's not much time to feel the pain.
"I don't know if we were [hurting] or not," said Norris. "I think all of the guys were trying to stay out there."
Whittingham was reserved on the injuries, only saying he didn't expect Dimick would be lost for the year. But even without Dimick, the Utes plugged holes with UCLA transfer Kylie Fitts, who batted down passes and got some pressure on Keeton.
It wasn't perfect: Whittingham mentioned that Utah's zone is a bit soft underneath. Linebackers and safeties had trouble stopping short routes and quarterback runs. But in the final quarter, the defense was ready.
The offense needed the help, coming up empty in the last 12 minutes of the game. Paul and the defense were happy to lend a hand in the second half.
"Yeah, that was teamwork," he said. "We're a family. When one brother is slacking, another brother picks it up."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Storylines
• The Utes don't allow a point in the second half against Utah State
• Gionni Paul gets two fourth-quarter turnovers, including a fumble recovery and an interception
• Utah wins the turnover battle at plus-3