Postgame Notes: No. 11 Utah vs. No. 22 UCLA

Postgame Notes
(at) No. 11 Utah 14, No. 22 UCLA 7
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Kick: 1:41 p.m. MT | End: 4:50 p.m.
Attendance: 52,919 (sellout)
 
General

• Utah is 115-36 when playing in Rice-Eccles Stadium, dating back to 1998 when the facility opened.
• The Utes have won 17 straight home games (since Dec. 5, 2020) and 28 of their last 29. The 17 straight home wins are the second-longest such streak under head coach Kyle Whittingham; the longest was 21 in a row (Sept. 15, 2007-Oct. 23, 2010).
• Utah is now 9-12 all-time vs. UCLA, with wins in six of its last seven games vs. the Bruins (since 2016), with just a 2022 road loss in that timeframe. The Utes have won four in a row vs. UCLA inside Rice-Eccles Stadium with the last home loss to the Bruins coming in 2015.
• Whittingham, the winningest head coach in program history, is now 158-74 in his 19 seasons leading the Utes. Including his time as an assistant coach from 1994-2004, he has coached in 358 games and contributed to 243 wins—both the most of any coach in program history.
• Utah celebrated Homecoming and is now 64-34 when hosting Homecoming games. The Utes have won five straight Homecoming games, with the last loss coming in 2017 (there was no Homecoming in 2020).
• Since joining the Pac-12 Conference in 2011, the Utes are 61-44 in regular season league play and have won three straight league openers (vs. Washington State in 2021, at Arizona State in 2022).
• Utah won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The Utes defended the South goal to begin the game.
• Utah has sold out Rice-Eccles Stadium in 79 straight games, dating back to the 2010 season opener. Capacity currently sits at 51,444 with the completion of the Ken Garff Red Zone in 2021. Previously, capacity was 45,807.
• Today's attendance was the third-largest in Rice-Eccles Stadium history.
• The 14 points scored for the Utes marked the team's first win since 2008 (13 vs. TCU; 13 vs. New Mexico) when scoring 14 or fewer points.
• Utah won the time of possession battle for the third straight game. The Utes had the ball for 34:28 in the game, including 11:41 during the second quarter.

Offense

• Utah's 102 net rushing yards marked the 29th straight game that the Utes have rushed for 100-plus yards. It dates back to the Washington State game (213) on Sept. 25, 2021.
• Quarterback Nate Johnson made his second straight start, passing 9-of-17 for 117 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Johnson had four completions of 15-plus yards, with a long of 35-yards to wide receiver Devaughn Vele.
• Vele's 35-yard reception was a season-long and his longest since a 47-yard reception vs. Penn State in the Rose Bowl last season.
• Running back Jaylon Glover rushed 25 times for a career-high 86 yards. It propelled him over the 500-yard mark for his career; Glover now owns 539 yards on the ground.
• Glover also made his second reception as a Ute; it was a career-long 17-yarder late in the second quarter. With the reception, Glover totaled 103 all-purpose yards for the day.
• Tight end Landen King had a seven-yard touchdown reception just before halftime; it was King's first touchdown as a Ute and his second collegiate score. His other came vs. Alabama on Nov. 27, 2021, when King played at Auburn.

Defense

• Utah has a defensive takeaway in all four games this season.
• The Utes held UCLA to just nine rushing yards, it was tied for eighth-fewest in program history and fewest since the 2022 game at Arizona State (6).
• Utah has held both Florida (13) and UCLA (9) under 15 rushing yards. The 2002 season was the last time the Utes held multiple opponents under 15 rushing yards in the same season (via Greg Mroz and Stats Perform).
• Both the Utes' 11 TFL and seven sacks as a team are season-highs and the most since last season's Pac-12 Championship vs. USC.
• Defensive end Jonah Elliss tallied career-highs with 10 tackles, 5.0 TFL (32 yards) and 3.5 sacks (28 yards). His 5.0 TFL tie Elliss for fourth in program history and his 3.5 sacks rank tied for eighth.
• The last five-TFL game by a Ute came from Devin Lloyd (5.0) at Stanford in 2021 and Hunter Dimick had the last game for a Ute with 3.5 or more sacks (Dimick set the program record with 5.0 sacks at Arizona State in 2016).
• On the very first play from scrimmage, linebacker Karene Reid recorded his third career interception and returned it 21 yards for a pick-six. It was Reid's first career pick-six and first interception since Sept. 17, 2022 vs. San Diego State.
• Reid is the first Ute with a pick-six on the first play from scrimmage since Sunia Tauteoli (41 yards) vs. BYU on Sept. 10, 2016. Also vs. BYU on Nov. 24, 2000, Andre Dyson had a 24-yard pick-six on the second play from scrimmage. 
• Entering today across FBS football, there had been 13 pick-sixes on the first play from scrimmage since 2012. Reid's and Tauteoli's are the only known ones in the Pac-12 since at least 2007 (via Greg Mroz and Stats Perform).
• Utah last had a pick-six in back-to-back games on Oct. 1 (vs. Oregon State) and Oct. 8, 2022 (at UCLA). Clark Phillips III had both.
• The pick-six was Reid's second career touchdown; he previously had a scoop-and-score at Oregon in 2022.
• Reid's nine tackles were a season-high and his most since the game vs. Oregon State on Oct. 1, 2022. His two pass breakups were also a career-high.
• Fellow linebacker Sione Vaki tied a career-best with nine tackles, his other nine-tackle game during Vaki's first career start at Washington State in 2022.
• Though UCLA recovered the fumble, defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa had a strip-sack during the first quarter. It was Tanuvasa's first career forced fumble.
• Defensive end Logan Fano recorded his first career pass breakup. Fano also forced a fumble in the third quarter; it is his second straight game with a forced fumble.
• Additional career-highs for the Utes included Logan Fano (6 tackles); Keanu Tanuvasa (1.5 TFL, 1.0 sack) and Tao Johnson (4 tackles).

Special Teams

• Punter Jack Bouwmeester finished with eight punts for 352 yards, averaging 44.0 per punt with six landing inside the 20-yard line.
• His eight punts were a career-high while his 352 yards were also a career-most.
• With his two punts for 50-plus yards against UCLA, he now has eight for over 50 yards this season, including three 60-plus yard punts.