Utah Utes football: Utes torch Cowboys 30-6
LARAMIE, Wyo. — For once, the weather wasn't bad when Utah visited Wyoming.
Even so, things weren't exactly sunshine and rainbows for the 10th-ranked Utes at War Memorial Stadium. They turned the ball over three times and had a PAT blocked as the guests at Wyoming's homecoming.
"It usually spells disaster," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "But we were able to overcome that tonight."
Thanks to a stellar defense and yet another big second quarter, the Utes left town with a 30-6 victory — becoming bowl eligible after improving to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in Mountain West Conference play.
"It's kind of a consolation, I think," said senior center Zane Taylor. "It was a bit of an ugly game for us but we still came out with a pretty handy victory."
Quarterback Jordan Wynn, who completed 16-of-25 passes for 230 yards and a pair of touchdowns, also looked at the bottom line. He was intercepted three times.
"It shows how good this team can be," Wynn said. "I've just got to take it upon myself to take care of the football."
Despite the turnovers, Utah racked up 431 yards of total offense. Matt Asiata led the effort with 109 yards rushing, becoming the first Ute to top 100 this season.
Utah's defense, though, stole the show. Wyoming managed just 183 yards of offense and netted only 10 first downs. The Cowboys were tackled behind the line of scrimmage 11 times and were stopped on third down nine times.
"We just try to get out there every play and play to our full potential," said cornerback Brandon Burton, who finished with a team-high six tackles. "We take pride in our defense."
Whittingham was especially pleased with the defensive effort against the run. Wyoming averaged a paltry 1.8 yards per carry.
"The defensive effort was very good," said Whittingham, who acknowledged there were a lot of positives in the game.
Not enough, though, to look past the inadequacies.
Whittingham said the three interceptions overshadowed things.
"We've got to do a better job there," he explained while calling his team's turnover margin "abysmal."
Wynn vows to learn from the mistakes and move on.
"I've just got to take care of the football," he said. "There's nothing else to say."
Utah led 23-0 at halftime.
The Utes dominated the first two quarters by racking up 278 yards of total offense and holding the Cowboys to just 98. In addition to a 14-4 advantage in first downs, Utah allowed Wyoming to convert on just 1-of-6 third-down situations in the first half.