SALT LAKE CITY — Instead of being a Pac-12 showdown between undefeated teams, Saturday night’s game was a battle to stay relevant.
Washington State and Utah entered the game with wounded egos after demoralizing upset losses the week before, armed with the knowledge that another loss would severely hamper any conference hopes after promising starts to the season.
And the survivor was … Utah.
The Utes (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) racked up 526 yards and defeated Washington State 38-13 at Rice-Eccles Stadium, sending the Cougars (3-2) to 0-2 in the Pac-12.
“You saw a very tough football team play a very soft football team,” said WSU coach Mike Leach.