This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

In the Pac-12 football episode of the Throwbacks vs. the Thrower, old-school football won.

Book Mode beat the Bear Raid. Utah survived California's passing attack, thanks partly to its ground game.

Devontae Booker ran for 222 yards in No. 5 Utah's successful attempt to counteract the passing of Cal's Jared Goff in a 30-24 victory Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

In a wild adventure that included nine turnovers between the teams, Booker was the game's steadying force. He topped the 200-yard mark early in the fourth quarter and ended up short of matching his 229-yard effort of last October in a double-overtime win at Oregon State.

Goff was brilliant at times, but Utah's defense forced him into a career-high five interceptions to reduce the impact of his 340 passing yards. Yet the outcome was decided only when Utah defensive back Boobie Hobbs knocked down Goff's pass on a fourth-and-5 play from the Utah 21-yard line with 26 seconds remaining.

So ended a crazy game that stemmed from two weeks of anticipation following the Utes' 62-20 win at Oregon. Afterward, Ute coach Kyle Whittingham cited Booker's "ability to just own the run game" as a critical factor in the Utes' fifth victory to start the season.

The weekend featured ESPN's "GameDay" crew operating from Presidents Circle, the Utes wearing throwback uniforms with design elements of the 1960s and other eras for homecoming and fans getting revved up about the team's No. 5 ranking — the highest of Utah's five years of Pac-12 membership. Cal arrived with a 5-0 record, creating an intriguing matchup that practically nobody would have imagined meriting national attention, going into the season.

All of the buildup was remarkable, considering where these teams were picked in the Pac-12's preseason polls. With a wry smile, conference commissioner Larry Scott said prior to kickoff, "Everyone circled this game, right?"

What unfolded in the first half was just as weird, with Goff throwing four interceptions — accounting for the biggest chunk of the seven turnovers between the teams.

When he was sharp, Goff lived up to his previous work that made Utah defensive coordinator John Pease watch him on film and "think about retiring," as he said early in the week. Goff was alternately great and horrible, though, delivering some lasers and also making some shockingly poor decisions.

Of course, the Utes deserve credit for causing some of those mistakes, especially linebacker Gionni Paul with an acrobatic interception. Counting a fumble recovery, the Utes turned five takeaways into 17 points.

Goff responded with a late touchdown drive, cutting Utah's lead to 24-17 at halftime. Booker was the one constant for either offense, with his 133 rushing yards in the half including an amazing 40-yard touchdown run through traffic in the middle of the line. Travis Wilson threw interceptions on consecutive drives in the second quarter, but bounced back with a 54-yard touchdown pass to Cory Butler-Byrd.

Cal turned Booker's third-quarter fumble, the game's eighth turnover, into a touchdown that made it 27-24 going into the final period.

So at times, Goff and Wilson showed signs of reprising the 2003 game that featured Ute quarterback Alex Smith making his first start and Cal's Aaron Rodgers coming off the bench to pass for 244 yards and two touchdowns in an entertaining game that ended with the Utes winning 31-24. Nobody knew then how good Smith and Rodgers would become in college or pro football, but it was clear they were going places — and so were their teams, in the coming years.

We'll see what becomes of Utah and Cal in 2015. Some flaws were exposed in this game, but some strengths certainly were revealed as well. In the end Saturday night, Booker and Utah's defense were just good enough.

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com Twitter: @tribkurt