Colorado reacts to Utah’s dominant defensive effort


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BOULDER, Colo. — Utah football’s offense played well again under quarterback Jason Shelley, but it was the defense that plowed through Colorado’s offensive line to help the Utes beat the Buffaloes 30-7.

Saturday’s win closed out Utah’s Pac-12 schedule with a 6-3 conference record on the season.

Both teams scored a touchdown in the first half for an even score at halftime, but Utah came out of the locker room ready to increase its lead. On the first possession in the third quarter, the Utes put together a drive that ended with a 33-yard field goal to go ahead. It would be the start of a lead they would never give up.

On Utah's next possession, Shelley moved Utah 59 yards in two plays to get to the end zone.

“You felt a slight momentum change, but that’s part of football,” Colorado receiver Kabion Ento said.

While the offense was finding ways to score, the defense was doing its part in stopping Colorado’s offense from moving the chains. The defensive unit held the Buffs to under 200 yards of offense, had six sacks and 16 tackles for loss for 65 yards, and three takeaways.

Utah’s defense has continued to prove it is a force to be reckoned with, even with backup players on the field. Backup linebacker Francis Bernard was put into the game after Chase Hansen was ejected from a questionable targeting penalty in the first quarter. Bernard led Utah with 10 tackles, including three tackles for loss.

As the Utes continued to pile on the scores, the Buffs were desperate to put up their own points on the board. Colorado needed to score quick to try and catch up with Utah. To do that, the Buffs relied on the pass game. Colorado threw the ball twice as many times as their rushing in the second half.

Knowing Colorado was forced to pass the ball, the Utes attacked with the pass rush.

“They called out sometimes in certain situations the play calls that we were probably going to call at that point,” Colorado receiver Juwann Winfree said. “Our job is to get the call and execute. We didn’t execute. In terms of what they are saying on defense, that isn’t something we worry about. Our job is to make the play.”

“They knew we were throwing and that’s when a lot of those sacks happened,” Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre added.

All of Utah’s six sacks came in the second half — two in the third quarter and four in the fourth.

In the end, the Utes held strong and didn’t allow the Buffs to score again as they totalled 30 unanswered points.

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