SALT LAKE CITY – The Arizona Wildcats were in prime position to extend their winning streak against Utah.
Sure, the Wildcats were backed up to their 2-yard line late in the second quarter. But Arizona held a 14-3 lead at that point. And the penalty-prone Utes were completely off kilter.
Then everything changed.
On second-and-10 from the 2, Utah tackled backup quarterback Khalil Tate for a safety. The Utes would score 26 consecutive points en route to a 36-23 victory over the Wildcats in front of an announced crowd of 45,917 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The loss was Arizona’s third in a row. The UA fell to 2-4, 0-3 in the Pac-12. The Wildcats are in last place in the South Division. Arizona and Oregon are the only teams in the conference that have yet to win a league game.
No. 24 Utah improved to 5-1, 2-1, and ended a four-game losing streak in the series that covered the entirety of Rich Rodriguez’s UA tenure.
“We lost a couple games,” Rodriguez said. “We had a couple tough ones against some pretty good teams. These guys are going to fight. We’re going to get back to work, try to win the next one.”
Brandon Dawkins started at quarterback for Arizona despite being questionable because of a rib injury. Dawkins accounted for both of the Wildcats’ touchdowns but took a beating in the process. He exited for good late in the third quarter after throwing an interception. Two plays earlier, Dawkins absorbed a helmet hit to the back of his head from Utah linebacker Sunia Tauteoli.
“He competed well,” Rodriguez said. “He made some plays. There’s some he’d like to have back. I like the way he competes.”
Dawkins also left the game briefly in the second quarter – on the fateful series that changed the game.
Rodriguez said Dawkins needed a series to get his wind back – a side effect of the bruised ribs that he undoubtedly aggravated during the game.
Tate had no chance on the safety. Arizona called a quarterback draw, but Tate was hit almost immediately by Pasoni Tasini, who had maneuvered past guard Christian Boettcher.
Asked whether the safety shifted the momentum of the game, Rodriguez said: “It sure helped them. It had nothing to do with the second half.”
The Wildcats led 14-12 at halftime. The Utes outscored them 24-9 in the second half.
Tate completed 5 of 8 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown but for the most part couldn’t replicate the magic he displayed during his college debut last week at UCLA. Utah’s disciplined defensive front generally bottled up Dawkins (49 yards on 14 carries) and Tate (33 yards on 10 carries).
The Utes’ biggest defensive breakdowns came early and late. On the first play from scrimmage, several Utah defenders got preoccupied with Dawkins as he rolled to his left. Shun Brown slipped behind the defense for a 75-yard touchdown. The TD, which came 11 seconds into the game, was Arizona’s fastest in at least the past 20 years.
After a field goal made it 7-3, Dawkins added to the lead with a 6-yard touchdown run about midway through the second quarter. Dawkins faked an end-around and dove across the goal line, taking another hard hit. It was the next offensive series that he missed.
After the safety, Utah got the ball back at the UA 47. The Utes scored on a 3-yard pass from Troy Williams to Tyrone Smith with 55 seconds left in the half. Smith made a one-handed grab on a fade pass with cornerback Jace Whittaker draped on him. Whittaker started for DaVonte’ Neal and had five pass breakups, all in the first half.
Dawkins returned for the final possession of the half and helped Arizona reach the Utah 35-yard line. But Josh Pollack’s 52-yard field-goal attempt as time expired landed well short.
Utah scored 17 unanswered points in the third quarter. Arizona never got closer than two scores.
Tate threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to Samajie Grant with 4:15 remaining to trim the deficit to 13 points. But the subsequent onside kick failed, and Utah ran out the clock.
Dawkins finished 11 of 20 for 243 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Williams passed for 245 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 73 yards and two scores.
Despite the losing streak, Rodriguez and his players were defiant and determined after the game.
Asked what the vibe was like in the locker room, safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles said: “Keep fighting. Keep pushing. Don’t quit.”
Added linebacker Michael Barton: “We’re disappointed, but nobody’s putting their heads down.
“We’ve still got six games left. We’re going to let this hurt for about 24 hours, then it’s USC next week. We expect to win.”
