Utah Utes football: U. intercepts CSU's upset bid

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Robert Johnson was looking forward to this one. Utah's free safety was champing at the bit to face Colorado State.

"He was really excited about the opportunity to play against a team that throws the ball deep," said defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake.

The feeling, however, probably isn't mutual.

Johnson ended Colorado State's final three drives with interceptions as the Utes rallied for a 24-17 victory at Hughes Stadium.

"Robert Johnson, what more can you say about that kid?" said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "Three picks, really he was the difference in the ballgame."

The interceptions set up two late touchdowns and preserved the victory for the Utes.

"He's a great free safety. That's all I can say," Sitake added. "He's the last line of defense."

Johnson, though, wasn't a one-man show. Several of his teammates also played key roles in the victory.

Quarterback Terrance Cain directed three scoring drives after the Utes fell behind 17-3 late in the third quarter. He wound up completing 24-of-32 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

Running back Eddie Wide ran for 102 yards and a score, while receiver David Reed hauled in a game-high nine catches for 140 yards.

All made major contributions in the successful comeback.

Cain and Reed teamed on the first score to make it 17-10. Wide accounted for the last two touchdowns. He reached the end zone on a 1-yard run and an 8-yard pass from Cain in the fourth quarter.

The game-winning score came with 3:40 left to play.

"I couldn't have been more proud of a group of guys to rally up, hang in there, stay mentally tough, stay focused and find a way to win," Whittingham said. "(There was) no panic at all. No panic on the coaches' part. No panic on the players' part. Just making plays when we had to make them."

The victory ups Utah's record to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in Mountain West Conference play. CSU drops to 3-3 and 0-2.

"It really hurts not to come out on the winning side of this ballgame out there. I thought, obviously, we did a nice job defensively and there were some nice spots out there offensively against a very good football team," said CSU coach Steve Fairchild. "We kind of had it dialed up and made some very, very poor decisions late in the ballgame to end up losing."

The Rams' downfall began late in the third quarter when Johnson intercepted quarterback Grant Stucker for the first time. CSU was clinging to a 17-10 lead at the time.

Utah responded with a 17-play drive that covered 73 yards and took 8:45 off the clock. The Utes converted on third down four times along the way.

"It was a heckuva drive," said Whittingham, whose squad wound up going 6-for-6 on third downs at the end of the game. "They had all the momentum and we just turned it around."