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What the ...

At the 14:35 mark of the second quarter Saturday night in the Utah-Oregon game, Rice-Eccles Stadium, Utes up, 7-0, on the Ducks, Travis Wilson fired what looked to be a beautiful 79-yard touchdown bomb to Kaelin Clay. Clay caught the ball, but … as he was about to fly across the goal line, giving Utah a two-touchdown lead on the No. 4 team in the land, he … he … he … well, you know.

He dropped the ball at the 1-yard line. As though he had already scored.

Yeah, that's what he did.

But we're not completely done yet.

Oregon linebacker Joe Walker scooped up the ball and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown.

Again, what the ...

Either way, I swear, I heard 47,528 Utah fans mutter "What the ..." in unison on Saturday night.

I won't finish the question.

Utah football has its very own "what the ..." moment now.

And a game that had national championship implications turned on that play — and a previous play that diverted what the Utes were trying to do. Utah ended up losing, 51-27, and the Ducks kept their title dreams alive.

It became clear on the Utes' first drive that they had every intention of shaking things up against Oregon. Backup quarterback Kendal Thompson got the start and, taking advantage of a Clay kickoff return that got Utah halfway home, led the offense on a 51-yard touchdown drive in nine plays. It was impressive.

Thompson ran, handed off, and passed. You read that right. And the malaise of last week, and much of the season, the flinching and double-clutching at even trying to mix things up on offense, had been shoved aside.

On the Utes' second possession, Thompson threw the ball deep. Unfortunately, he hurt his knee as he delivered, and was done, just nine minutes in. During the next play, Devontae Booker fumbled at the Utah 48-yard line. From there, it got weird.

Clay lost his keys, and Utah lost its way.

The Utes went from being up 14-zip to being tied at 7. Next thing, they were down 14-7, down 21-7, down 24-7. An Andy Phillips field goal at the end of the first half made it 24-10.

Marcus Mariota was doing his thing, and the Ducks were quacking.

If the Utes have proved anything this season, it's that they are a tough, tough, resilient bunch, especially on defense. They hung in, working against the explosive Oregon offense, doing what they could to keep things close. Early in the third quarter, Nate Orchard forced a fumble from Mariota deep in Oregon territory, giving the Ute O a prime opportunity to score. It settled for another Phillips field goal.

The Ducks countered with a field goal, making it 27-13.

Utah subsequently drove 69 yards in six plays, including a 27-yard TD pass from Wilson to Booker. An Oregon field goal jacked the margin back to 10 early in the fourth. A 13-yard TD pass from Wilson to Westlee Tonga then completed an 83-yard Utah drive. Mariota threw another TD pass, and another. And so it went.

The Utes aren't as good as the Ducks. But, if anything good came from Saturday night's loss for them, it's this: They rediscovered their offensive nerve. They threw the ball again. They lost Thompson, but they threw it … how you say? … down the field. Their attack no longer looked as though it had popped an Ambien or slurped some ZZZQuil. It no longer looked afraid to play real football.

Utah had more passing yards than Oregon. A week ago, that would have seemed impossible, the Utes throwing for a grand total of 57 yards against Arizona State. This time around, the Ute offense regained its self-respect — even in defeat.

Despite that "What the ..." moment, the offense, while still limited, was no longer an embarrassment to itself.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM/1280 and 960 AM The Zone. Twitter: @GordonMonson.