LOGAN, Utah — Isaac Wilson had 239 yards passing and three touchdowns in his first career start to lead No. 12 Utah to a 35-21 victory over Utah State on Saturday.
Wilson started in place of Cam Rising, who sat out after injuring his throwing hand against Baylor last week. Nine players caught a pass from the true freshman in his first 200-yard game.
Micah Bernard added 123 yards rushing and a touchdown, and Mike Mitchell ran for 75 yards.
Utah (3-0) beat Utah State for the 15th time in the last 16 meetings in their rivalry that dates to 1892.
Bryson Barnes led Utah State (1-2) with 223 yards passing and two touchdowns in his first game against his former team. Barnes, who was Utah's starting quarterback a year ago, threw a pair of costly interceptions that shifted momentum away from the Aggies before halftime.
Rashul Faison added 115 yards rushing for Utah State.
A series of big pass plays helped the Aggies give the Utes an early scare.
Barnes hit Otto Tia on a deep pass down the sideline and followed with a 20-yard scoring strike to Broc Lane to put Utah State in front late in the first quarter. The Aggies made it 14-3 less than a minute into the second quarter on a 12-yard pass from Barnes to Jack Hestera. Jaylen Royals hauled in a 35-yard pass with one hand a play earlier to set up Utah State's second touchdown.
Utah's offense finally sprang to life in the second quarter.
Wilson tossed a 10-yard pass to Money Parks for the Utes' first touchdown. Then Caleb Lohner outjumped a defender to haul in a 11-yard pass, that gave Utah a 17-14 lead going into halftime. Cameron Calhoun returned his first career interception 34 yards to midfield to set up the go-ahead score.
Bernard helped put the game away after halftime. He barreled three yards up the middle to give the Utes a two-touchdown lead in the third quarter. The Aggies briefly cut the deficit to seven on a 1-yard keeper by Barnes. Bernard then raced for a career-long 64 yards to set up a 2-yard catch by Carsen Ryan, giving Utah a 35-21 lead with 11:50 left.
The Takeaway
Utah: A sluggish early start from the offense was offset by big defensive plays. The Utes earned a pair of first-half takeaways that kept Utah State from building an even bigger lead. Smith Snowden saved a first-quarter touchdown with an interception in the end zone and Calhoun's pick set up a go-ahead TD before halftime.
Utah State: The Aggies played inspired football in their first home game against Utah since 2012. Ultimately, breakdowns at critical moments on both sides of the ball undid Utah State's chances at picking up a rare win over the Utes.
Poll Implications
Utah is well-positioned to move up in the AP Poll on Sunday after a comeback victory on the road.
Up Next
Utah: At Oklahoma State in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
Utah State: At Temple.
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