By now it's probably time to stop trying to figure out how and why the Utes have remained undefeated in six games, and just appreciate the trip.

Never mind they fell behind Oregon State by eight points with 2:18 to go, Thursday at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Forget that quarterback Brian Johnson fumbled and threw an interception — both culminating in OSU touchdowns. Ignore that the Utes still haven't played a complete game.

Like fried ice cream and Dippin' Dots, you may not exactly be able to explain it all. You just know they work wonderfully.

OK, there is one undeniable reason Utah is still winning: Louie Sakoda. Utah's All-American kicker landed a 37-yard field goal with no time remaining to give the Utes a 31-28 win.

So there you have it. The Utes are still a perfect 6-0 in spite of their imperfections.

Time to roll out the we-found-a-way-to-win bromides.

Truth is, for most of this year the Utes have been a bit on the mysterious side. They held off Michigan, barely, in the closing minutes; made off with a seven-point victory over Air Force. But through the entire year, coach Kyle Whittingham maintained his team had yet to play to its potential.

That still hasn't changed. A 12-point favorite, the Utes came within an eyelash of losing to the upset-minded Beavers. But Johnson moved the Utes 60 yards in 42 seconds to tie pull within two, then tied it on a conversion run with 1:29 remaining. Then it was Loooouie-Loooouie Time. His game-winner was his third field goal of the night.

Thursday's game took on almost epic proportions in the preceding four days. If you didn't know better, you'd think the Beavers were favored. It probably shouldn't have been an gigantic undertaking for the Utes, but it morphed into one.

It's not like the Utes were playing the 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers. They came into the game ranked 15th nationally, while Oregon State got only three votes in the Top 25 poll. Besides, the game was at Utah, where the Utes were favored by a dozen; a 5-0 team vs. a 2-2 team. The disclaimer is that the Beavers shocked No. 1 USC, two weeks ago.

"Hey, we're improved," OSU coach Mike Riley joked to The Portland Tribune's Kerry Eggers on Wednesday. "Weren't we 23-point underdogs against SC?"

The fact OSU beat the Utes in Corvallis last year year added to the buildup. Would the Utes finally play a complete game? Was OSU's win over Southern California a fluke? Would Brian Johnson still be holding the ball — looking for an open man — when the sun rose today?

Answers: No, no and you'll have to check outside.

Thanks largely to a favorable schedule, the Utes went into Thursday's game with their path clear. Conversely, OSU could hardly have been blamed if it had been late for the kickoff. Its schedule resembles a cop's, with shifts on days, nights and weekends. The Beavers opened their season on a Thursday at Stanford, then went nine days before playing at Penn State. The next week was a regular Saturday game against Hawaii, but then it was a 12-day layoff before hosting USC, again on a Thursday. This week marked the Beavers' third Thursday game of the season.