Utah Utes football: 'Sweet 16th' win with tough game vs. SJSU

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Saturday night's 24-14 victory over San Jose State proved to be a hard-fought Sweet 16 for the 17th-ranked Utah Utes.

They extended the nation's longest active winning streak with a subpar performance — needing a fourth-quarter burst to pull away from a Spartans team that had dropped a 56-3 decision to USC just one week earlier.

"Give credit to San Jose State," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "They played hard. They had a great game plan going in."

The Utes, he noted, have a lot to work on this week.

"It'll keep us busy in practice, no doubt," Whittingham continued. "We hung in there, though, and the bottom line is we came out with a win. Although we didn't play as efficiently as we should have, we continued to hang in and found a way to win."

San Jose State coach Dick Tomey agreed.

"There is a reason that Utah has the longest winning streak in college football," he said. "It's because they can win games like this one."

Utah (2-0) didn't take the lead for good until Terrance Cain and Jereme Brooks teamed for a 51-yard scoring strike with 13:44 to go.

Less than five minutes later, the Utes added another touchdown and some much-needed breathing room. Back-to-back 15-yard rushes by Eddie Wide resulted in what proved to be a pivotal score. Wide replaced starter Matt Asiata, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury — the extent of which was not immediately known.

The runs closed a drive that included a pair of critical third-down conversions by Utah. A 12-yard pass from Cain to David Reed moved the chains near midfield and an 11-yard connection to John Peel also led to a fresh set of downs.

It all proved necessary as San Jose State managed to cut into Utah's 21-7 lead on the ensuing possession. A 1-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Le Secla to Marquis Avery closed the gap with 5:05 left to play.

The Utes, though, answered decisively. They converted on a third-and-2 situation while successfully running the clock down. A 46-yard run by Sausan Shakerin iced the outcome down the stretch — putting Utah deep in San Jose State territory. Joe Phillips eventually nailed a 25-yard field goal to seal the deal with just 13 seconds remaining.

"We didn't play our best," Brooks said. "But a win is a win."

Cain, who completed 18-of-31 passes for 248 yards and rushed for 69 yards, acknowledged it was a tougher game than expected.