Cameron Rising accounted for three touchdowns Saturday as Utah posted a wild 35-21 come-from-behind win over No. 18 Arizona State in Salt Lake City.
Utah (4-2, 3-0), the only unbeaten team left in Pac-12 play, outscored Arizona State (5-2, 3-1) by a 28-0 margin in the second half. The Utes are 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2015.
Tavion Thomas and TJ Pledger each ran for a score for Utah. Brant Kuithe caught a pair of TD passes from Rising, who finished 21 of 33 for 247 yards passing while rushing for 59 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Rising was intercepted twice in the first half as Arizona State built a 21-7 cushion. Jayden Daniels passed for two scores and rushed for another in the first half and finished 20 of 31 for 237 yards for the Sun Devils.
Arizona State took the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards in 12 plays, capped by a 7-yard TD pass from Daniels to Jaylin Conyers. A 2-yard scoring plunge by Daniels midway through the second quarter made it 14-7 and a 15-yard TD strike from Daniels to Curtis Hodges made it 21-7 in the final minute of the half.
Utah’s six first-half drives included three punts and two interceptions with the only score being a 9-yard TD run by Rising on the hosts’ opening possession. In the second half, however, the Utes scored a touchdown on all four of their drives, with each possession covering at least 67 yards.
Thomas’ 7-yard TD run early in the third quarter drew Utah within a score, and then Rising hooked up with Kuithe for touchdown strikes of 20 yards and 7 yards to put the Utes ahead for the first time.
Pledger’s 7-yard sprint to the end zone with 2:39 remaining put an exclamation point on the comeback win.
Arizona State finished with 13 penalties for 115 yards and allowed four sacks while not recording one of its own.
–Field Level Media