Utah Football: 3 takeaways from home shutout over Cal in Week 9

Utah football had a field day against Cal, routing the Golden Bears to improve to 7-1 and vault higher up the Top 25. What else did we learn from the win?

Cal has played plenty of good teams close this season. The Golden Bears went to Seattle and knocked off Washington, and they threatened to upend Oregon’s season at Autzen Stadium. But their trip to Salt Lake City took a far different turn as Utah made life miserable for Justin Wilcox’s team in a 35-0 victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium in late-night Pac-12 action to close out Week 9.

It was the kind of night that put Utah right back in the thick of the College Football Playoff race after several big upsets around the country earlier in the day. The Utes showcased an explosive offense, a top-shelf defense, and an ability to grind down opponents in all phases of the game.

On a night when Pac-12 North leader Oregon struggled at home to put away Washington State, Utah left no doubt about who was the better team on their home field. Finishing with 475 yards of offense, Utah did pretty much whatever they wanted to do against a solid Golden Bears defense.

Cal never stood a chance on their road trip. What did we learn about the Utes on Saturday night under the lights? Here are three things that we should start considering about Kyle Whittingham’s crew as they head into November as a top-10 team.