San Diego • As of halftime Monday night, Utah quarterback Jason Shelley seemingly was going to be remembered for everything he did to give the Utes' season a satisfying ending.
Shelley's fill-in opportunity instead will be framed by what happened in the second half of a 31-20 loss to Northwestern in the Holiday Bowl at SDCCU Stadium.
Having produced only three points against Washington in the Pac-12 championship to conclude November, Shelley and the Ute offense were shut out in the second half vs. Northwestern. Shelley's two interceptions and two fumbles (one returned for an 86-yard touchdown) accounted for four of Utah's six turnovers; Texas high school teammate Jaylen Dixon fumbled twice after catching passes.
Dixon partly blamed the rainy conditions for his fumbles. Problems with pass protection and his own decision-making hurt Shelley, who said the turnovers “cost us the game.”
Shelley completed 27 of 45 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns, impressive numbers considering how Utah's inability to run the ball demanded more of the passing game. Shelley was the Utes' most effective runner, netting 39 yards with sacks subtracted.
Utah once hoped that junior quarterback Tyler Huntley would be available for the Holiday Bowl, eight weeks after breaking his collarbone. But as the game approached, it became evident to the coaching staff that Huntley wouldn't be physically ready to play, even after practicing for three weeks, so Shelley would remain the starter.
In his last game before becoming Sacramento State's head coach, offensive coordinator Troy Taylor devised a scheme that worked in the first half, although the Utes wished they could have finished two drives that ended with field goals. Taylor found sufficient targets for Shelley, whose scrambling ability was a key factor in the half when he went 13 of 20 for 155 yards with no interceptions.
Dixon caught nine passes for 114 yards and one touchdown, emerging as a key receiver with No. 1 receiver Britain Covey sidelined by a knee injury. The problem was that two plays that would have given Utah first downs in Northwestern territory turned into takeaways for the Wildcats, altering the momentum.
Utah also got four receptions each from Siaosi Mariner and tight end Brant Kuithe and three each from Solomon Enis and tight end Jake Jackson. The use of Jackson in the passing game (including a touchdown catch) was a good example of Utah's self-scouting in bowl preparation, with Jackson having been used primarily as a blocker and catching only six passes in the first 13 games.
The problem was that Jackson’s 4-yard play in the first quarter stood as Utah’s last touchdown of the season.
