Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Fall to Utes, 59-27
9/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Brandon Connette was 16 of 24 for 177 yards and a touchdown but it wasn't enough as Fresno State fell 59-27 to Utah on Saturday.
Wilson completed 11 of 20 passes for 181 yards and left the game early in the third quarter with Utah ahead 38-7.
In the third quarter, Utah's Nate Orchard recovered a snap that went high over the Fresno quarterback's head and ended on the Fresno State 1. Two plays later, Wilson threw his career-best fifth touchdown pass to Anderson. The next Utah possession ended with Wilson's replacement, Kendal Thompson, scrambling 14 yards to make it 45-7 for Utah (2-0).
Wilson connected with Westlee Tonga over the middle on fourth-and-1 and the tight end dragged two Bulldogs into the end zone for 24-0 Utah advantage. Brandon Connette passed two yards to Malique Micenheimer for a score to get Fresno State (0-2) within 24-7.
Wilson, who has been diagnosed with an abnormal intracranial artery but was cleared to play, ran early and often against the Bulldogs and had his helmet yanked off, which garnered a penalty on Utah's first touchdown drive.
Wilson's 41-yard pass to Anderson led to a field goal and then he found Scott for a seven-yard touchdown reception. Just over 9 minutes into the game, Wilson hit Anderson in full stride with a 38-yard pass for another TD and a 17-0 Utah lead.
The Bulldogs didn't earn a first down until the second quarter, after gaining just four yards and punting five times in the initial period. Duke transfer Connette relieved Brian Burrell, who started the game 2-for-8 for 14 yards, and the Bulldogs moved down the field in the second quarter, but the drive died on a failed fourth down at the Utah 25-yard line.
Within Fresno State's two-quarterback system, Connette was 16 of 24 for 177 yards and a touchdown and ran for another. Burrell was much more efficient when he returned in the fourth quarter and threw two touchdown passes, including a 4-yarder to Greg Watson on the final play of the game.
With both teams employing no-huddle, hurry-up offenses, the game was played at a frenetic pace under sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s. The Utes huddled and took a relaxed approach in the final quarter but the teams still combined to run 161 plays.
Six of Utah's TD drives required less than 2 minutes to hit pay dirt, but their final TD drive went 9:38 before Troy McCormick ran the ball in from the 2 with 2:40 to play.
Fresno State had not lost consecutive regular season games under third-year coach Tim DeRuyter but has now suffered back-to-back blowouts, after falling to USC 52-13 in the opener.
The teams were both members of the Western Athletic Conference from 1992-98 but haven't faced each other since Utah beat Fresno St. 17-16 in the 1999 Las Vegas Bowl.
The Utah quarterback to throw five TDs in a game was Brian Johnson, against San Diego State on November 15 in Utah's undefeated 2008 season. Wilson's previous high was three TD tosses.
