This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
San Jose, Calif. • Armand Shyne's first career touchdown summed it up.
The sophomore running back met safety Trevon Bierra yards before the end zone, absorbed the hit, and took the briefest pause before he kept on running.
Utah's evening went much the same way.
It wasn't a confident start, but Utah (3-0) found its footing, riding a handful of explosive plays in the first half and a dominant run game in the second to ride to a 34-17 win over San Jose State (1-2) at CEFCU Stadium. The defense shut down the Spartans for most of last three quarters and blew through a struggling offensive line to sack any hopes the Mountain West host had of keeping the result close.
Ahead of the start of Utah's Pac-12 season, coach Kyle Whittingham conceded that it was far from perfect. But with double-digit sacks and balance on offense, there were some positive trends.
"It was nice to see us getting some efficiency in the run game … our defense played very well, bunch of sacks and three takeaways," he said. "Move on to conference play."
Initially a tight contest, senior receiver Tim Patrick sparked the offense with six catches for 121 yards, including a touchdown that gave Utah a 20-10 lead at the half. After the intermission, Utah utilized its trio of running backs to gain 201 yards on the ground (152 yards in the second half), with touchdowns for Shyne, junior Troy McCormick and freshman Zack Moss.
On defense, Sack Lake City made a triumphant return against the Spartans' offensive line: Utah totaled 10 sacks, the most in a single game in two years.
After San Jose State's lone first-half touchdown, the pass rush came alive to finish three different SJSU drives with sacks on both second and third down. Eight players finished with quarterback takedowns, led by junior Filipo Mokofisi and senior Hunter Dimick with two apiece.
A third-quarter shot by safety Chase Hansen even knocked starting quarterback Kenny Potter (10-of-18, 65 yards) out of the game. The SJSU offense managed a late score, a 46-yard reception by Zamore Zigler, but the game was well out of reach.
"We got kind of mad about that [early] drive they had for a touchdown, and it started us up and started a fire," Mokofisi said. "We started getting up more, yelling and stuff. I think that's where it started."
The match wasn't without familiar offensive frustrations: The Utes entered the red zone twice in the first half and were forced to settle for field goals. In the second half, Troy Williams threw an interception in the end zone, and Troy McCormick fumbled on the tail end of a late run. The giveaways kept a solid effort from becoming a total blowout.
Meanwhile, Utah struggled to bottle up San Jose State's run early, as Potter and Cooper found holes on the ground. The Spartans led first-half drives of 64 and 84 yards, scoring the game's first touchdown on a pass from Potter to Josh Oliver, uncovered on a play action.
A few home runs in the last 10 minutes of the second quarter — when Utah trailed 10-6 — helped it break out.
The Utes finally broke through the end zone on a 75-yard drive as the run game's gears finally began to mesh. Freshman Zack Moss rolled for a 51-yard run into the San Jose State red zone, and McCormick finished it off with a 16-yard dash untouched for his second score of the year. The Utes took a 13-10 lead.
Just before the half, Utah got the ball back on Reggie Porter's second interception. In only 1:15, Utah drove 74 yards to the goal line — most of it on a 54-yard reception by Patrick. The march was finished with another Williams toss to Patrick, the duo's fourth touchdown hook-up the season.
"He's most definitely a big playmaker," Williams said. "I have no problem going to him anytime in the game, or any of our receivers. But I have faith in him. I know he's going to come down with it when it's a big play."
Utah's run game came alive in the second half, as Moss and Shyne both scored.
The Utes next face USC in their Pac-12 home opener. The Trojans fell to 1-2 in a 27-10 loss to Stanford earlier in the night, only a few miles up the road in Palo Alto.
Williams, a Southern California native, was 20 for 28 with 257 yards to go with his touchdown. His attitude after the game: Bring on the Trojans.
"We're ready," Williams said. "We're going to have a great week of practice and go out there and play physical."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Utah 34, San Jose State 17
• The Utes start sluggishly but finish fast to improve to 3-0
• The defense records 10 sacks, its highest total in two years
• Receiver Tim Patrick nabs six catches for 121 yards and a TD