Late field goal, record-setting Joe Williams performance lead Utah to 26-24 win over Indiana in Foster Farms Bowl

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Santa Clara, Calif., • For a man who spent part of the season in retirement, Joe Williams doesn't know when to quit.

Setting a Foster Farms Bowl rushing record, the senior back put an exclamation point on his stellar year with twisting, shifty runs that carried Utah (9-4) — paddling upstream — to a 26-24 win over Indiana.

"Just had to finish out strong," Williams said afterward, in the middle of a swirl of crimson in the middle of the Levi's Stadium field. "Coach [Kyle Whittingham] put it in my head that I had to win this game. That's what I had to do."

Utah overcame a passing game power outage, four turnovers and lots of frustration as senior kicker Andy Phillips — the program's all-time scoring leader — booted a 27-yard field goal with 1:24 left that allowed the team to escape with its 10th bowl win in 11 appearances under Whittingham.

With four field goals, Phillips' leg was the difference. But Williams was the engine driving Utah's offense.

The senior back rushed for 222 yards and a score (plus a 56-yard pass) in the game, breaking a bowl record previously held by Cal back Jahvid Best. On the final drive alone, he accounted for 64 yards on the ground, including a tackle-dodging, determined 32-yard play that put Utah in field goal range.

Not bad for a back whom Whittingham said missed team meetings the night before with illness.

"I had to come out like Jordan in the '97 flu game," Williams joked.

Phillips had a stellar night as well on special teams, kicking four field goals including two over 45 yards that wound their way in. He finished his career with a record 84 career field goals for the Utes.

When Whittingham asked where Phillips needed the ball, Phillips told him he would make it from anywhere the Utes needed him to.

"It got me really excited," Phillips said afterward. "I haven't kicked a game winner in a couple years."

The Utes defense capped off an admirable effort — in which they notched three turnovers and held Indiana to under 350 yards — with a swat on Indiana's last-ditch Hail Mary attempt. As junior linebacker Kavika Luafatasaga deflected Richard Laglow's pass, the rest of the team rushed the middle of the field having notched a third straight season of nine wins or more.

Utah also sacked Laglow three times, intercepted him once, and recovered a pair of fumbles.

The Hoosiers had a 24-23 lead in the fourth quarter following a Devine Redding run. To that point in the half, Utah had only two Phillips field goals. Switching between quarterbacks Troy Williams and Tyler Huntley, Utah couldn't find much success in the air with only 214 yards between them.

Williams had three straight runs over 10 yards on a fourth quarter drive — but then fumbled it away for Utah's fourth turnover of the night. He was still stewing on the sideline, thinking he would have to take a loss as his last game, when Indiana kicker Griffin Oakes missed a 40-yarder with 5:34 remaining.

Senior kick returner Cory Butler-Byrd was among those missing in action, and Utah missed him almost right away. Kyle Fulks fumbled away the opening kickoff, allowing Indiana to score on a 7-yard touchdown pass only 52 seconds into the game.

But much of the rest of the half was frustrating for the Hoosiers, who struggled to stop the flow of Utah pass rushers in their backfield. By the midway point, Indiana had only five completions.

Utah's offense rolled out slowly, notching a field goal on its first drive, then capitalizing on a IU fumble to score on a 16-yard run by Joe Williams. The Utes then bolstered the lead early in the second half, as Huntley ran in for a one-yard touchdown — the first of his college career — to take a 17-7 edge.

But Indiana wasn't done: The Hoosiers scored 10 points in the final five minutes of the half, including a 36-yard pass from Laglow to Nick Westbrook, against the coverage of freshman Julian Blackmon.

Utah's own frustration piled up before the half: After two Troy Williams completions brought the offense across midfield, two sacks stalled the drive and the Utes let the clock run out with a 17-all tie.

It was in parts frustrating, in parts triumphant — not unlike Utah's season at large. Whittingham said the frustration of missing out on a Pac-12 South championship and the Rose Bowl was still frustrating and gave Utah a goal for next season. But given one more postseason chance, the Utes did what they've come to be known for: Win their final game.

"This program has had a great bowl history," Whittingham said. "It's great that we were able to uphold that."

kgoon@sltrib.com

Twitter: @kylegoon —