Utah Football: 3 takeaways from critical Pac-12 win over Washington State

3. Utah secondary cracked Anthony Gordon in Salt Lake City

Over his first four games as Washington State’s starter, Anthony Gordon has been the most prolific quarterback in the country. Entering Week 5, Gordon ranked first overall in the nation with 1894 passing yards and 21 passing touchdowns. Even as he completed more passes per game than any other quarterback, Gordon still completed three-quarters of his passes to rank fourth nationally in passing efficiency.

Last week against UCLA, Gordon reached 300 passing yards and five touchdowns by halftime. He finished the night with 570 yards and nine scoring strikes. Utah utilized a high-pressure defensive front that made him scramble more than usual. When they couldn’t break through the Cougars offensive line, the Utes defensive linemen got their hands up and swatted down passes.

The key to making Gordon crack, though was a secondary that blanketed his receivers. Even when he was able to run around, finding an open guy to catch the ball proved difficult. Late in the third quarter, down 24-13, continually trying to force the ball finally led to an interception by shutdown corner Jaylon Johnson. A second pick came just over five minutes from the end of the contest, as Francis Bernard swooped right into the passing lane and returned the ball 22 yards for the knockout punch.

By the end of his visit to Rice-Eccles Stadium, a Washington State offense averaging 473.5 passing yards per game saw Gordon finish with just 252 yards on 30-of-49 passing. The quarterback threw just one touchdown along with the two interceptions. It was a standout performance by Utah’s defense as they look to reestablish themselves as the preeminent threat in the Pac-12 South.