Utah football survived an early upset scare from NIU to pull away for its second win of the season. What did we learn from the showdown in Salt Lake City?
For a while in Salt Lake City on Saturday afternoon, it looked like No. 13 Utah was at major risk of dropping their first game of the season against a Group of Five opponent. The Utes found themselves down 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, and NIU hung tough with their hosts to go into the locker room down only 21-17 at the half.
The upset was ultimately not to be, as Utah pulled away in the second half for a runaway ___ victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium. In the process, Kyle Whittingham’s squad will remain in pole position in the Pac-12 South and ranked among the 15 best teams in the country.
There was a lot of positives to take away from this contest, especially as the Utes kept their heads up when it looked like things could get away from them. It was the sort of resilient performance that could bode well for the team’s development as they forge ahead into the meat of their schedule.
What else should we take away from the events as they transpired in Week 2 for the Utes? Here are some key takeaways from Utah’s defeat of NIU.