# 2021 Utah Utes football team

The 2021 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Utes were led by 17th-year head coach Kyle Whittingham and played their home games at Rice–Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City as members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. Despite a rough start to the season and the death of players Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe, the Utes rallied and won their first Pac-12 championship since joining the conference in 2011, defeating the tenth-ranked Oregon Ducks, 38–10, in the conference championship game. The Utes completed their season with their first ever appearance in the Rose Bowl, where they lost to Ohio State.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 6 (FCS) Weber State* | No. 24 | Rice–Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT | P12N | W 40–17 | 51,511 |
| September 11 | 8:15 p.m. | at BYU* | No. 21 | LaVell Edwards StadiumProvo, UT (Holy War) | ESPN | L 17–26 | 63,470 |
| September 18 | 5:00 p.m. | at San Diego State* | | Dignity Health Sports ParkCarson, CA | CBSSN | L 31–33 $^{3OT}$ | 11,090 |
| September 25 | 12:30 p.m. | Washington State | | Rice–Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT | P12N | W 24–13 | 51,483 |
| October 9 | 6:00 p.m. | at USC | | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | FOX | W 42–26 | 54,088 |
| October 16 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 18 Arizona State | | Rice–Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT | ESPN | W 35–21 | 51,724 |
| October 23 | 5:30 p.m. | at Oregon State | | Reser StadiumCorvallis, OR | P12N | L 34–42 | 30,203 |
| October 30 | 8:00 p.m. | UCLA | | Rice–Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT | ESPN | W 44–24 | 51,922 |
| November 5 | 8:30 p.m. | at Stanford | | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA | FS1 | W 52–7 | 26,410 |
| November 13 | 12:00 p.m. | at Arizona | No. 24 | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | P12N | W 38–29 | 32,008 |
| November 20 | 5:30 p.m. | No. 3 Oregon | No. 23 | Rice–Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT | ABC | W 38–7 | 52,724 |
| November 26 | 2:00 p.m. | Colorado | No. 19 | Rice–Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT (Rumble in the Rockies) | FOX | W 28–13 | 51,538 |
| December 3 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. No. 10 Oregon | No. 17 | Allegiant StadiumParadise, NV (Pac-12 Championship Game) | ABC | W 38–10 | 56,511 |
| January 1, 2022 | 3:00 p.m. | vs. No. 6 Ohio State* | No. 11 | Rose BowlPasadena, CA (Rose Bowl Game, College GameDay) | ESPN | L 45–48 | 87,842 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Mountain time ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 24 | 21 | RV | — | — | — | — | RV | — | RV | RV | 24 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 12 |
| Coaches | RV | 18 | RV | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 12 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | 24 | 23 | 19 | 17 | 11 | Not released |

## Game summaries
### No. 6 (FCS) Weber State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 (FCS) Wildcats | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
| • No. 24 Utes | 13 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 40 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UTAH –29.5 | 49 |
| Statistics | Weber State | Utah |
| First downs | 14 | 28 |
| Total yards | 270 | 450 |
| Rushing yards | 57 | 188 |
| Passing yards | 213 | 262 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 30:24 | 29:36 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Weber State | Passing | Bronson Barron | 21/33, 213 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Weber State | Rushing | Dontae McMillan | 7 carries, 39 yards |
| Weber State | Receiving | Justin Malone | 5 receptions, 50 yards |
| Utah | Passing | Charlie Brewer | 19/27, 233 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Utah | Rushing | Tavion Thomas | 12 carries, 107 yards, 2 TDs |
| Utah | Receiving | Dalton Kincaid | 4 receptions, 75 yards, 2 TDs |

### At BYU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 21 Utes | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| • Cougars | 3 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 26 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UTAH –7 | 50.5 |
| Statistics | Utah | BYU |
| First downs | 15 | 21 |
| Total yards | 340 | 373 |
| Rushing yards | 193 | 224 |
| Passing yards | 147 | 149 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 24:34 | 35:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Utah | Passing | Charlie Brewer | 15/26, 147 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Utah | Rushing | Micah Bernard | 12 carries, 146 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah | Receiving | Dalton Kincaid | 1 reception, 37 yards |
| BYU | Passing | Jaren Hall | 18/30, 149 yards, 3 TDs |
| BYU | Rushing | Tyler Allgeier | 27 carries, 102 yards |
| BYU | Receiving | Puka Nacua | 4 receptions, 37 yards |

### At San Diego State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Utes | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| • Aztecs | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 33 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UTAH –8 | 43 |
| Statistics | Utah | San Diego State |
| First downs | 21 | 12 |
| Total yards | 327 | 248 |
| Rushing yards | 70 | 204 |
| Passing yards | 257 | 44 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:19 | 29:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 19/32, 153 yards, 3 TDs |
| Utah | Rushing | Micah Bernard | 17 carries, 47 yards |
| Utah | Receiving | Brant Kuithe | 7 receptions, 58 yards |
| San Diego State | Passing | Lucas Johnson | 10/19, 44 yards, 1 TD |
| San Diego State | Rushing | Greg Bell | 33 carries, 119 yards, 2 TDs |
| San Diego State | Receiving | Daniel Bellinger | 1 reception, 15 yards |

### Washington State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| • Utes | 0 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 24 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UTAH –15 | 53 |
| Statistics | Washington State | Utah |
| First downs | 22 | 19 |
| Total yards | 318 | 349 |
| Rushing yards | 70 | 212 |
| Passing yards | 248 | 137 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 10 |
| Time of possession | 36:53 | 23:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington State | Passing | Jarrett Guarantano | 25/36, 248 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs |
| Washington State | Rushing | Deon McIntosh | 13 carries, 59 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | De'Zhaun Stribling | 6 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 13/23, 137 yards |
| Utah | Rushing | T.J. Pledger | 10 carries, 117 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah | Receiving | Cole Fotheringham | 3 receptions, 33 yards |

### At USC

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Utes | 7 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
| Trojans | 3 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 26 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| USC –3 | 52.5 |
| Statistics | Utah | USC |
| First downs | 23 | 27 |
| Total yards | 486 | 493 |
| Rushing yards | 180 | 92 |
| Passing yards | 306 | 401 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:50 | 31:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 22/28, 306 yards, 3 TDs |
| Utah | Rushing | Tavion Thomas | 16 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah | Receiving | Devaughn Vele | 4 receptions, 84 yards, 1 TD |
| USC | Passing | Kedon Slovis | 33/53, 401 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| USC | Rushing | Keaontay Ingram | 14 carries, 70 yards |
| USC | Receiving | Drake London | 16 receptions, 162 yards, 1 TD |

### No. 18 Arizona State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Sun Devils | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| • Utes | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UTAH –1.5 | 51.5 |
| Statistics | Arizona State | Utah |
| First downs | 20 | 29 |
| Total yards | 385 | 455 |
| Rushing yards | 148 | 208 |
| Passing yards | 237 | 247 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 28:23 | 31:37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Arizona State | Passing | Jayden Daniels | 20/31, 237 yards, 2 TDs |
| Arizona State | Rushing | Rachaad White | 9 carries, 56 yards |
| Arizona State | Receiving | Curtis Hodges | 4 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 21/33, 247 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs |
| Utah | Rushing | Tavion Thomas | 20 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah | Receiving | Devaughn Vele | 3 receptions, 57 yards |

### At Oregon State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Utes | 14 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
| • Beavers | 7 | 7 | 21 | 7 | 42 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UTAH –3 | 57 |
| Statistics | Utah | Oregon State |
| First downs | 28 | 22 |
| Total yards | 455 | 468 |
| Rushing yards | 188 | 260 |
| Passing yards | 267 | 208 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:25 | 27:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 22/36, 267 yards, 2 TDs |
| Utah | Rushing | Tavion Thomas | 21 carries, 74 yards, 2 TDs |
| Utah | Receiving | Devaughn Vele | 3 receptions, 69 yards |
| Oregon State | Passing | Chance Nolan | 14/19, 208 yards, 2 TDs |
| Oregon State | Rushing | B. J. Baylor | 19 carries, 152 yards, 1 TD |
| Oregon State | Receiving | Trevon Bradford | 6 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD |

### UCLA

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bruins | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| • Utes | 7 | 21 | 0 | 16 | 44 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UTAH –6 | 60.5 |
| Statistics | UCLA | Utah |
| First downs | 24 | 26 |
| Total yards | 411 | 469 |
| Rushing yards | 146 | 290 |
| Passing yards | 265 | 179 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 29:13 | 30:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UCLA | Passing | Ethan Garbers | 27/44, 265 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| UCLA | Rushing | Zach Charbonnet | 11 carries, 65 yards, 1 TD |
| UCLA | Receiving | Kyle Philips | 7 receptions, 86 yards |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 17/27, 179 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah | Rushing | Tavion Thomas | 24 carries, 160 yards, 4 TDs |
| Utah | Receiving | Brant Kuithe | 5 receptions, 63 yards |

### At Stanford

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Utes | 14 | 24 | 0 | 14 | 52 |
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UTAH –11 | 52 |
| Statistics | Utah | Stanford |
| First downs | 31 | 11 |
| Total yards | 581 | 167 |
| Rushing yards | 441 | 82 |
| Passing yards | 140 | 85 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:22 | 29:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 13/22, 140 yards |
| Utah | Rushing | Tavion Thomas | 20 carries, 177 yards, 4 TDs |
| Utah | Receiving | Micah Bernard | 2 receptions, 32 yards |
| Stanford | Passing | Jack West | 12/18, 59 yards, 1 INT |
| Stanford | Rushing | E. J. Smith | 7 carries, 53 yards |
| Stanford | Receiving | Benjamin Yurosek | 4 receptions, 42 yards |

### At Arizona

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 24 Utes | 7 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
| Wildcats | 14 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 29 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UTAH –24 | 54 |
| Statistics | Utah | Arizona |
| First downs | 26 | 16 |
| Total yards | 468 | 329 |
| Rushing yards | 174 | 102 |
| Passing yards | 294 | 227 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 33:53 | 26:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 19/30, 294 yards, 2 TDs |
| Utah | Rushing | T. J. Pledger | 25 carries, 119 yards, 2 TDs |
| Utah | Receiving | Micah Bernard | 3 receptions, 60 yards |
| Arizona | Passing | Will Plummer | 19/34, 223 yards, 1 TD |
| Arizona | Rushing | Will Plummer | 10 carries, 50 yards, 1 TD |
| Arizona | Receiving | Dorian Singer | 5 receptions, 84 yards |

### No. 3 Oregon

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 3 Ducks | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| • No. 23 Utes | 7 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 38 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UTAH –3 | 58.5 |
| Statistics | Oregon | Utah |
| First downs | 18 | 24 |
| Total yards | 294 | 386 |
| Rushing yards | 63 | 208 |
| Passing yards | 231 | 178 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 24:33 | 35:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Oregon | Passing | Anthony Brown | 17/35, 231 yards, 1 TD |
| Oregon | Rushing | Byron Cardwell | 7 carries, 35 yards |
| Oregon | Receiving | Kris Hutson | 4 receptions, 96 yards |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 10/18, 178 yards |
| Utah | Rushing | Tavion Thomas | 21 carries, 94 yards, 3 TDs |
| Utah | Receiving | Brant Kuithe | 5 receptions, 118 yards |

### Colorado

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buffaloes | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| • No. 19 Utes | 0 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UTAH –24 | 52.5 |
| Statistics | Colorado | Utah |
| First downs | 9 | 23 |
| Total yards | 148 | 444 |
| Rushing yards | 64 | 265 |
| Passing yards | 84 | 179 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 25:53 | 34:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Colorado | Passing | Brendon Lewis | 9/23, 84 yards |
| Colorado | Rushing | Alex Fontenot | 10 carries, 28 yards |
| Colorado | Receiving | Dimitri Stanley | 3 receptions, 48 yards |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 14/23, 179 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| Utah | Rushing | Tavion Thomas | 25 carries, 142 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah | Receiving | Britain Covey | 5 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD |

### Vs. No. 10 Oregon (Pac-12 Championship game)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 10 Ducks | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| • No. 17 Utes | 14 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 38 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UTAH –3 | 57.5 |
| Statistics | Oregon | Utah |
| First downs | 14 | 21 |
| Total yards | 221 | 361 |
| Rushing yards | 74 | 191 |
| Passing yards | 147 | 170 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 27:56 | 32:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Oregon | Passing | Anthony Brown | 13/24, 147 yards, 2 INTs |
| Oregon | Rushing | Travis Dye | 15 carries, 82 yards, 2 TDs |
| Oregon | Receiving | Isaah Crocker | 3 receptions, 51 yards |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 15/24, 170 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs |
| Utah | Rushing | Tavion Thomas | 18 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah | Receiving | Britain Covey | 5 receptions, 72 yards |

### Vs. No. 6 Ohio State (Rose Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 12 Utes | 14 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 45 |
| • No. 6 Buckeyes | 0 | 21 | 10 | 17 | 48 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| OHST –4 | 64.5 |
| Statistics | Utah | Ohio State |
| First downs | 25 | 28 |
| Total yards | 463 | 683 |
| Rushing yards | 226 | 110 |
| Passing yards | 237 | 573 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 34:17 | 25:43 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 17/22, 214 yards, 2 TDs |
| Utah | Rushing | Cameron Rising | 11 carries, 92 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah | Receiving | Brant Kuithe | 6 receptions, 77 yards |
| Ohio State | Passing | C. J. Stroud | 37/46, 573 yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT |
| Ohio State | Rushing | TreVeyon Henderson | 17 carries, 83 yards |
| Ohio State | Receiving | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 15 receptions, 347 yards, 3 TDs |

## Awards and honors

* September 7, 2021 – Devin Lloyd, Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week