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As the minutes waned in a close game, Utes fans probably wished they could take some of the 42-point surplus at Oregon and apply it against Cal on Saturday night.

The vision of effortless offense faded in Utah's first encore since its 62-20 drubbing of the Ducks two weeks ago. It was a reliable formula U. fans have come to expect: Inconsistent passing, hard-nosed running and the occasional big play.

That didn't happen Saturday, as the Utes gave Cal several chances to engineer a late-game upset. But No.5 Utah survived and did just enough to sneak by with a 30-24 win over No. 23 Cal at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

As Utah looks back on the game, points off turnovers — or lack thereof — will be a sticking point. The Utes managed just 17 points off five interceptions and recovered a fumble, including only a field goal from the first three Cal turnovers.

"It wasn't our best night offensively," Kyle Whittingham said. "Coming out into halftime, five takeaways and only 24 points — we left some points on the field in the first half."

The Utes had several chances to add points to their lead in the fourth quarter. A promising drive into Cal territory netted only a field goal, and drives at 11 minutes and seven minutes remaining fizzled. That led to pressure on the defense and uneasiness among the crowd of 47,798 as Jared Goff took the field for multiple drives in the final minutes.

If Travis Wilson was Superman against Oregon, he reverted to Clark Kent form Saturday, throwing 16 for 26 with 170 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He had 49 yards rushing, but didn't appear as decisive as he did at Autzen Stadium on Sept. 26. On his final drive before Utah's defense stopped Cal quarterback Jared Goff on fourth down, Wilson made poor decisions and missed a pitch to Devontae Booker on an option read that led to a fumble (which Booker knocked out of bounds).

Even amid the postgame celebration, Wilson lingered on his mistakes.

"[Cal's secondary] definitely did a good job, but it's on me," Wilson said. "I could've made some better throws, and should've made some more accurate passes. That's something I've got to correct and get better."

The one thing that worked for Utah is the guy who has worked all year along — Booker.

Cal struggled to contain the powerful running back, so the Utes kept giving him the ball. And it worked: The running back churned out 222 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown run during the first half. Even when holes weren't readily apparent, Booker blew his way through traffic.

"[My offensive line] blocked their butts off tonight," he said. "Just made plays in the second level, and did what I needed to do to get this team victory."

The Utes installed a counter run for Booker, illustrated well on his second, untouched touchdown in the red zone. Whittingham estimated that it helped account for up to half of Booker's yardage.

Even the passing game had one highlight: Cory Butler-Byrd caught his first pass on a 54-yard bomb that went for a touchdown — one of the few plays that drew comparisons to the explosive display at Oregon.

At 5-0, the Utes are still looking for offensive consistency.

Twitter: @kylegoon