A raucous sea of red flooded Allegiant Stadium in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, December 3rd, as the University of Utah clinched their first-ever PAC-12 Conference championship in front of 56,511 attendees.
Choosing to defer to the second half after winning the coin toss, the Ducks allowed Utah to move the ball with ease on the opening drive. Sophomore quarterback Cameron Rising was nearly perfect, going 3-4 for 40 yards, including a beautiful 22-yard pass to junior receiver, Britain Covey to put the Utes into Ducks territory. The drive was capped off by a two-yard rushing touchdown by junior running back Tavion Thomas after a pass interference call against Oregon’s Mykael Wright helped the Utes escape a 3rd and long in the red zone.