Utah State beats Utah 27-20 in OT

LOGAN, Utah — Utah lost its quarterback, then its cool and eventually the game.

“We did enough wrong in this game to last us a while,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.

Chuckie Keeton threw two touchdown passes, Kerwynn Williams scored on 1-yard run on the first possession of overtime and Utah State beat Utah 27-20 on Friday night to snap a 12-game losing streak against the Utes.

“It’s devastating, because we lost to a team that’s not even a Pac-12 team. To lose to Utah State is horrible,” said Utah running back John White, who gained 96 yards on 27 carries.

The Utes, who are in their first season in the Pac-12, fell to 0-6 when White doesn’t gain more than 100 yards.

Utah State (2-0) held on after Utah (1-1) had a touchdown catch by Jake Murphy in overtime nullified when Murphy was called for offensive pass interference.

Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn stood on the sideline with his left, non-throwing arm in a sling after taking a hard hit in the second quarter. Wynn sustained a season-ending injury to the same shoulder last October.

The Utes also lost defensive lineman Joe Kruger, who was ejected after throwing a punch in the third quarter.

“If I learned anything from last year, it’s that I need to be ready at any point. I was prepared,” said Jon Hays, who replaced Wynn and rallied Utah. His TD pass to Kenneth Scott with 3:19 left in regulation tied it at 20. Utah got another TD pass from freshman Travis Wilson to Scott.

Utah’s Coleman Petersen missed a 52-yard field goal on the final play in regulation, sending the teams to overtime for the first time in the series.

Hays, who finished 12 of 26 for 154 yards, had one last chance in overtime but his pass to DeVonte Christopher fell incomplete, setting off a wild celebration at sold-out Romney Stadium, especially because the rivalry that dates to 1892 might not to return to Logan.

“That last play was tough. I had a matchup outside that I liked with DeVonte there and I took a shot. But I missed some throws and I’m not happy about it,” Hays said.

The teams are set to play in Salt Lake City in 2013 and 2015, but scheduling is an issue as Utah plays in the Pac-12 and the Aggies are headed to the Mountain West next season.

The Aggies had not beaten Utah since 1997, and not in Logan since 1996.

The Aggies showed they meant business from the start, dominating the first quarter in every category except time of possession. They pressured Wynn into off-balance throws, overthrows and a fumbled snap as he started 1 of 4 for 2 yards.

After one quarter, Utah had 15 yards net offense on 14 plays, compared to 96 for Utah State.

“It’s a miracle we were ever in the game after that first-half performance,” Whittingham said.

Utah State took a 7-0 lead with 7:59 left in the first when Zach Vigil blocked a punt and Clayton Christensen recovered in the end zone for the Aggies. It was Utah State’s first blocked punt for a touchdown since 2002.

Keeton, meanwhile, lived up to the hype he generated in his college debut against defending national champion Auburn last year. He started 6 of 8, including a 15-yard TD pass to Joe Hill that put the Aggies up 13-0 late in the first quarter.

Keeton finished 22 of 32 for 216 yards with two TDs, and he rushed for 94 yards on 17 carries.

Utah State held a 380-325 advantage in total yards, with Williams adding 95 yards rushing on 17 carries, including the winner set up by Keeton’s 23-yard scramble to the 1.

The Utes blew an early scoring opportunity when Wynn fumbled a shotgun snap deep in Aggies territory in the first. Wynn was knocked out of the game with 1:04 left in the second quarter on a hit by cornerback Will Davis. He was on his back for a while then finally walked off, holding his left arm across his chest.

Wynn finished 6 of 11 for 47 yards, and was sacked three times.

Hays promptly engineered a nine-play, 48-yard drive that resulted in Petersen’s 42-yard field goal that pulled Utah within 13-3 at halftime.

Utah made it 13-10 on a flea-flicker when Wilson took a pitch from White and passed 28 yards to Scott, who grabbed his first career TD pass between two defenders in the middle of the end zone with 11:34 left in the third.

Utah tied it at 13 with 4:22 left in the third on Petersen’s 40-yard line-drive field goal after another Aggies turnover, a fumble by Keeton after Joe Kruger sacked him from behind.

Kruger would be ejected in the fourth quarter in a wild game that lasted more than 3 1-2 hours and saw just about every penalty called.

Keeton gave Utah State a 20-13 lead on a 4-yard TD pass to Kellen Bartlett, but Hays countered with the 24-yarder to Scott.