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Utah Shuts Down ASU Quarterback Carousel in 55-3 Blowout Victory

Originally posted on FanNation All Utes | By Austin Eames | Last updated 11/4/23

After an embarrassing effort against Oregon last week, the Utah Utes came back stronger than ever and obliterated Arizona State in a completely lopsided affair.

The 18th-ranked Utes stepped on the gas early and took a first-quarter 14-3 lead behind the strong hands of receiver Devaughn Vele. The junior out of San Diego, CA, was responsible for both of Utah's first-quarter scores. The pair of touchdowns marked Vele’s first of the season as he was the Utes leading receiver in terms of yardage, but had yet to score a touchdown on the season.

Utah dismantled ASU on both sides of the ball. On the offensive side, all cylinders were firing, as the team had three touchdowns on the ground and four through the air.

After the dust had settled, the Utes had four ball carriers with over 50 yards rushing and a season best total of 352 yards of rush offense.

Ja’Quinden Jackson led the group with 111 yards. Jackson’s day was highlighted by a 54-yard touchdown that put the Utes up 31-3 at the start of the third quarter. That run would be the end of Jackson’s day, as he was injured on the play and subsequently hobbled to the locker room.

One of the Utes' other leading rushers was also the author of their dangerous pass attack. Quarterback Bryson Barnes added 56 yards rushing on seven carries to his four touchdown day.

Barnes picked apart a soft Arizona State defense and managed to double his number of passing touchdowns on the season. The game proved to be a fantastic “bounce-back” after what was arguably the quarterback’s worst game of the season, last week against the Oregon Ducks.

It was a long day for the Arizona State Sun Devil offense, as quarterback Trenton Bourguet went down early in the first quarter with a leg injury. Bourguet would only come back for a limited number of snaps and left backup Jacob Conover as the team’s starter for most of the day.

Conover never settled in and was tormented by constant pressure from the Utah defense. The sophomore replacement was 5-of-22 passing with 41 yards and a single interception. The Utes’ defense had four sacks and was led by a familiar face in Jonah Elliss, who added 1.5 sacks to his Pac-12-leading total of 10.

In a last-ditch effort to spark their offense, the Sun Devils substituted running back Cameron Skattebo, into the quarterback position. Skattebo was 0-for-1 on passing attempts and had a couple of rush attempts that were quickly shut down.

In total, Arizona State punted or turned the ball ten times after their first-quarter field goal drive. The Utes on the other hand, consistently cashed in on scoring, ending the game with a 55-3 victory in a complete and dominating performance.

Utah moves to 7-2 overall (4-2 in conference play) with the win against Arizona State and take on the No. 5 Washington Huskies next week in Seattle.

This article first appeared on FanNation All Utes and was syndicated with permission.

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