It was not the way that the No. 11 University of Utah Football (11-3, 8-1 Pac-12) team wanted to end the year as they lost the Alamo Bowl to Texas (8-5, 5-4 Big 12) 38-10.
The Longhorns dominated the game from start to finish, but the stat sheet doesn’t show that. Utah had 254 total yards of offense and beat the Longhorns in time of possession.
But some costly miscues by the Utes didn’t help their case. On Texas’ opening drive, Josh Nurse dropped a potential interception and later in the game Devonta’e Henry-Cole dropped a wide open pass on a crucial third down play.
Utah also shot themselves in the foot with some uncharacteristic penalties. These included a couple of personal fouls from players who are usually not penalized.
Senior Demari Simpkins ended his Utah career with the lone Utah touchdown for the Utes. Tyler Huntley finished his final game as a Ute going 15-23 for 126 yards and the lone touchdown. Zack Moss rushed for only 57 yards on the night but he did have a huge rush of 26 yards in the game.
Both Brant Kuithe and Cole Fotheringham had 30 receiving yards on the night, which led the team. Both of Utah’s tight ends were averaging 10 yards per catch.
On the defensive side of the ball Mika Tafua led the team with eight total tackles (0.5 sack and 1.5 TFL). Five other Utes tied for six total tackles.
Punter Ben Lennon had over 330 yards tonight and was averaging 47.1 yards per punt.
Even though there wasn’t a lot going for Utah this game, there were some highlights on the night. Bradlee Anae became the newest mayor of Sack Lake City when he and Leki Fotu sacked Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Anae ends his Utah career with 30.0 career sacks.
Moss added to his list of records as he surpassed Steve Odom for the most all-purpose yardage. Jadon Redding also set a record for himself as he tied all-time-great kicker Louie Sakoda for most PATs made in one season with 56. Redding did not miss a PAT all season. Huntley now holds the 4th place spot in school history for completed passes.
While this is the last time Utah fans will see all these guys together on the field all at the same time, multiple members of this team will be playing on Sundays. For the seniors the focus turns to the upcoming NFL Combine and Draft, while the underclassmen will recoup and then get set for spring football.
While this loss might put a sour taste in fans’ mouths after what was a fantastic season, this isn’t the end of Utah football. The future of this program is bright and the Utes will be alright.
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