Arizona Wildcats vs Utah Utes Match Player Stats On Oct 08, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Oct 9, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY -- Junior quarterback Troy Williams threw for 245 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 73 yards and two scores to help No. 24 Utah rally for a 36-23 victory over Arizona on Saturday night.

Sophomore running back Armand Shyne added a career-high 101 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries for the Utes. Shyne left the game midway through the fourth quarter after suffering an apparent knee injury.

Utah (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) snapped a four-game losing streak to Arizona.

Sophomore quarterback Brandon Dawkins threw for 243 yards and a touchdown to lead Arizona. He was replaced in the second half by freshman quarterback Khalil Tate after throwing two interceptions.

The Wildcats (2-4, 0-3) have lost three straight to open conference play for the first time since 2012.

Utah took its first lead early in the third quarter. Cory Butler-Byrd took a pass from Williams and eluded multiple defenders for a 69-yard gain. It set up a 2-yard run on a keeper by Williams that put the Utes up 19-14.

Back-to-back interceptions helped Utah extend the lead. Marcus Williams reeled in his third interception of the season and the Utes cashed in with a 26-yard touchdown run from Shyne.

Then Dominique Hatfield picked off a pass to set up a 35-yard field goal from Andy Phillips, extending Utah's lead to 29-14 with 2:16 left in the third quarter.

Utah suffered a huge blow midway through the fourth quarter when Shyne crumpled to the turf after a first-down run. The sophomore could not put any weight on his left leg and had to be helped from the field by two teammates.

The Utes finished the drive with a 1-yard run on a keeper by Williams, going up 36-17 with 5:10 remaining.

Arizona wasted no time digging a hole for Utah. The Wildcats took a 7-0 lead on their first play from scrimmage when Dawkins hit slot back Shun Brown with a deep ball over the middle and he raced 75 yards for a score.

The Utes could not do enough on offense to answer. Utah drove to the Arizona 2-yard line on their second drive and settled for a 28-yard field goal from Phillips after a fumbled snap by backup quarterback Tyler Huntley pushed the Utes back to the 10.

Then Utah was forced to punt on back-to-back drives after favorable momentum swings. The Utes started at midfield on the first drive after a 22-yard punt from Josh Pollack. They got the ball at their own 9 on the following drive after Brian Allen picked off Dawkins. Both times, Utah ended up punting.

That opened the door for Arizona to stake a 14-3 lead on a 6-yard run from Dawkins with 7:54 left before halftime.

Momentum swung back to Utah after Pasoni Tasini sacked Tate in the end zone for a safety. The Utes cashed in after the ensuing kickoff, scoring on Tyrone Smith's 3-yard catch to cut their deficit to 14-12 with 55 seconds remaining in the half.

NOTES: Shun Brown's 75-yard touchdown on Arizona's opening play marked the longest pass this season for the Wildcats. It was Arizona's second longest play from scrimmage in 2016, trailing only a 79-yard touchdown run by Dawkins against Washington. ... Utah was whistled for eight false starts in the first half. Seven different players committed a false start. The Utes had 11 total first-half penalties. ... Brandon Dawkins and Troy Williams combined for 353 passing yards in the first half.