Freshman Quarterback Nate Johnson Finds End Zone For Utes

SALT LAKE CITY – In his first action of the season, freshman quarterback Nate Johnson gave Utah a 14-7 lead with his first collegiate touchdown.

.@Shaboinate3 has some wheels!!@Utah_Football | #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/B5hCTuti8Q

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) November 6, 2022

With the Utes inside the Wildcat 10-yard line, Johnson took the snap from shotgun and, after faking a handoff, sprinted around the right side of the line, cutting just inside the pylon for Utah’s second touchdown of the evening.

As they head to the second quarter, Arizona has outgained the Utes 174-117 yards. The Wildcats ran for 109 yards on the ground in the opening quarter.

Utah holds a 14-7 lead at the start of the second period.

Arizona Wildcats (3-5, 1-4) vs. No. 14 Utah Utes (6-2, 4-1)

The Utes limped out of Pullman, Washington a bit last week with a win and are hoping to be in better health this week. On the other hand, Arizona is coming off of a game where they gave USC everything they could possibly handle for 60 minutes but came up short.

FOOTBALL GAMEDAY‼️

🏈 @Utah_Football vs @ArizonaFBall
⏰ 5:30pm MT
📍 Rice-Eccles Stadium
📺 @Pac12Network
📻 @ESPN700
📝 https://t.co/0o77o3Fyj3#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/GAh8JpQ1VA

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) November 5, 2022

With aa win, Utah keeps their Pac-12 title hopes alive. Arizona needs to win three of their final four games to become bowl eligible.

Last week against Washington State, guys that hadn’t been depended on a lot through the season to that point had to step up and carry the team. Barnes, Glover, and Jackson did a good job pulling their weight when Rising, Bernard, and Kincaid weren’t able to go.

Who will it be this week? Even if Rising, Bernard, and Kincaid are all good to play, it seems safe to assume Utah will still need guys to step up and help carry the load for some of their leaders while they work their way back in.

Run To Win?

The Utes currently rank fourth in the Pac-12 in rushing offense even without Tavion Thomas (non-injury reasons) for most of the season.

Micah Bernard and quarterback Cam Rising have largely been responsible for that production the past few weeks, however, both players are on the “banged up” list which means if they do play, they most likely won’t be asked to run much if at all.

Great team win! #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/PdwSOQGFGD

— Jaylon “2 Piece” Glover 💨 (@officiallyyjay1) September 25, 2022

Utah does have two up-and-coming running backs in freshman Jaylon Glover and quarterback-turned-running back Ja’Quinden Jackson that could be leaned on against the Wildcats.

Last week against Washington State Glover 20 carries for 76 yards and one touchdown. He was averaging about 3.8 yards per carry. Jackson had 10 carries for 43 yards and a touchdown while averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

How To Watch

Fans can watch the game on Pac-12 Network or listen to Utah football action on ESPN700 AM.

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