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No. 12 Utah uses fourth-quarter rally to edge Baylor, remain in thick of College Football Playoff discussion



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NCAA Football: Utah at Baylor
USATSI

No. 12 Utah used a overdue landing from quarterback Nate Johnson to surprise Baylor 20-13 and continue to exist a wild recreation in Waco, Texas. The Utes didn’t lead till 17 seconds ultimate in the fourth quarter however transfer to 2-0 with wins over the Bears and Florida with out beginning quarterback Cameron Rising and celebrity tight finish Brant Kuithe. 

Down 13-6 in the fourth quarter, Utah opted to bench quarterback Bryson Barnes and provides Johnson his first complete pressure of the sport. The redshirt freshman did not disappoint and led a 14-play, 88-yard scoring effort to tie the sport. He finished 4 of 5 passes for 57 yards and ran for 13 yards to arrange a 7-yard dashing landing. 

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With Baylor’s beginning quarterback Blake Shapen sidelined with an MCL harm, backup Sawyer Robertson won a 2-minute drill alternative to win the sport. On the 3rd play of the sequence, Robertson threw an interception to Utah protection Cole Bishop, giving the Utes the ball in box function vary. Utah ran down maximum of the clock earlier than Baylor tried to surrender a loose landing, however operating again Jaylon Glover neatly ran off just about 10 seconds earlier than Baylor shoved him into the top zone. 

With simplest moments ultimate at the subsequent ownership, Robertson discovered receiver Hal Presley for a miraculous 47-yard of completion that arrange yet one more throw against the top zone. Robertson centered Presley once more, however Utah’s cornerback performed bodily in opposition to Presley to save you some other play because the clock struck 0. 

The combat between long run Big 12 convention associates used to be an unsightly affair for many of the day, particularly on the quarterback place. Barnes and Robertson mixed to whole simply 18 of 47 passes with 3 interceptions between them. However, Johnson’s playmaking down the stretch — subsequent to a 129-yard dashing efficiency from operating again Ja’Quinden Jackson — clinched the sport. 

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Utah can now sit down conveniently at 2-0 with wins over a couple of energy convention warring parties. The Utes have a tune-up recreation in opposition to Weber State from the Football Championship Subdivision earlier than opening Pac-12 play in opposition to UCLA on Sept. 23. Rising and Kuithe are anticipated again in the lineup by means of the top of September, however surviving a couple of unsightly video games approach the Utes are nonetheless in the thick of the College Football Playoff discussion for the 3rd yr in a row. Additionally, the emergence of Johnson must give Utah’s training personnel optimism that offense is at the desk, even with the 2 All-Pac-12 avid gamers out of the lineup. 

For Baylor, the loss is some other unsightly one for trainer Dave Aranda in his fourth season. The Bears have no longer began 0-2 since Matt Rhule’s debut effort in 2017. Baylor performs Long Island in one week, however then opens Big 12 play in opposition to No. 11 Texas in the general matchup of the pairing as convention associates. 



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