Indiana Hoosiers vs Utah Utes Match Player Stats On Dec 28, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Dec 29, 2016

SANTA CLARA, Calif -- Joe Williams rushed for 222 yards to help No. 19 Utah continue its run of postseason success.

Williams did most of the work in a 68-yard drive that led to Andy Phillips' 27-yard field goal with 1:24 left that gave the Utes a 26-24 victory over Indiana in the Foster Farms Bowl on Wednesday at Levi's Stadium.

The Utes (9-4) have won their past four bowl games and 13 of their past 14. Coach Kyle Whittingham is 10-1 in bowl games.

The result made a loser of Indiana's Tom Allen in his first game as a head coach. He replaced Kevin Wilson, who resigned on Dec. 1.

Quarterback Richard Lagow completed 14 of 39 passes for 188 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Indiana (6-7). Zander Diamont threw a 36-yard touchdown pass on his only passing attempt of the game for the Hoosiers.

Utah quarterback Troy Williams was 11 of 23 for 178 yards and an interception.

The Utes won despite committing four turnovers. Indiana committed three turnovers.

Phillips broke a 17-17 halftime tie with a 48-yard field goal with 5:40 left in the third quarter. Phillips added a 41-yard field late in the third quarter to expand Utah's lead to 23-17.

Indiana took a 24-23 lead on Redding's 4-yard scoring run that completed a 60-yard drive. The march started after Utah's Zack Moss fumbled the ball away.

On Utah's next possession, Joe Williams fumbled the ball away at the Hoosiers 29-yard line, but Indiana's Griffin Oakes missed a 41-yard field-goal attempt.

That gave Utah the chance it needed, and Joe Williams made it pay off.

Diamont's only pass of the first half was a 36-yard touchdown throw to Nick Westbrook that tied the score 17-17 with 1:31 left in the second quarter. That was how the first half ended.

Indiana got the game's first break on the opening kickoff. The Hoosiers' Greg Gooch delivered a big hit on Utah kick returner Kyle Fulks, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Indiana's Riley Richmond at the Utah 11-yard line.

A defensive pass interference penalty on a third-down play helped set Indiana up for Lagow's 7-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Paige. Just 52 seconds into the game, Indiana led 7-0.

Utah reduced the deficit to 7-3 on Phillips' 30-yard field goal, which ended a 63-yard drive.

The Utes forced the second break of the game when defensive end Pita Taumoepenu broke through for a strip-sack on Lagow, causing a fumble that was recovered by Utah's Hunter Dimick at the Indiana 16-yard line. On the next play, Joe Williams scored on a 16-yard touchdown run to put the Utes ahead 10-7.

Indiana seemed headed for the go-ahead touchdown until Redding was stripped by Utah's Pasoni Tasini, causing a fumble recovered by the Utes' Chase Hansen at the Utah 5-yard line.

A 56-yard Troy Williams completion to Joe Williams and a 36-yard pass from Tyler Huntley to Fulks set up Huntley's fourth-down, 1-yard touchdown run that put Utah ahead 17-7.

Lagow's 53-yard pass to Ricky Jones put Oakes in position to kick a 24-yard field goal that reduced the Utah lead to 17-10.

Two plays after Diamont replaced Lagow at quarterback, Diamont threw his touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook to tie the score.

NOTES: The last time Indiana finished a season with a winning record was 2007, and that was the Hoosiers' only winning season since 1994. ... Indiana, which lost to Duke in last season's Pinstripe Bowl, participated in bowl games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1990 and 1991. The Hoosiers' last bowl victory came in 1991, when they beat Baylor 24-0 in the Copper Bowl. ... Utah entered Wednesday's game having won 12 of its past 13 bowl games. Coach Kyle Whittingham was 9-1 in bowl games.