Storm troopers: Utes get back on track with victory over Aggies

Cold weather, complete with accompanying rain and snow, failed to put a damper on Utah's 34-18 victory over Utah State at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The Utes (2-3) were just happy to get a win — anyhow, anyway — after last Saturday's 27-0 loss at UNLV.

"It takes us out of a miserable feeling from last week. That's for certain," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We were as down as you can get."

Simply put, he added, this was a "much-needed win" for the Utes.

Whittingham said his team improved in all areas — offense, defense and special teams.

Quarterback Brian Johnson, who threw a pair of touchdown passes, agreed.

"I think the big thing is obviously execution," he said. "When you're not making plays then, obviously, you make things a little harder on yourself to win a football game."

Utah's homecoming victory featured several key performances. Tailback Darrell Mack rushed for a career-high 132 yards. Safety Steve Tate — a former Aggie — had a game-high 13 tackles, and Derrek Richards returned a punt for a touchdown.

"The bottom line is when we execute, we're a pretty good team," Johnson continued. "And when we can't execute, it's anybody's ballgame."

Throughout the week of preparation, Johnson repeatedly said the Utes must "find a way" to get things done. Besides overcoming two turnovers and a sluggish start, they found several ways to pull away from the Aggies.

In the third quarter, Utah kept a scoring drive alive by opting for a fake punt on fourth-and-eight from its own 22-yard line. Louie Sakoda ran 22 yards on the play to move the markers.

The Utes marched downfield, racking up five more first downs, before making it 31-10 on a 3-yard touchdown run by Mack.

Prior to the score, Utah's defense was put in a tight spot when USU middle linebacker Jake Hutton intercepted Johnson to give the Aggies possession inside the Ute 30. USU eventually moved 28 yards closer but came up empty in a bid to cut the lead to 24-17 at that point.

Utah's defense tightened by stopping three consecutive running plays. A subsequent 22-yard field goal attempt by USU was wide left.

USU coach Brent Guy considered it his team's "big opportunity" to get back in the game and perhaps snap what is now an 11-game losing streak.