Utah Football: 3 takeaways from blowout win over UCLA in Week 12

2. One team missed opportunities, the other took advantage

FOX analyst Spencer Tillman commented during the broadcast that UCLA wasn’t playing poorly, they just kept shooting themselves in the foot, and making mistakes. The Bruins made six trips inside the 30-yard line of the Utes including four red zone trips and they could only come away with three points.

For the Bruins, it was miscues after miscues, and lost opportunity after lost opportunity. The turnovers for UCLA included three lost fumbles and two interceptions. It seemed as if anytime the UCLA Bruins got anything going on offense, Dorian Thompson-Robinson either fumbled or threw the interception.

The series that encapsulates the game the Bruins had was after a botched fake punt by the Utes. They get the ball inside the 30, couldn’t score and turned the football over.

The Utes took advantage of every opportunity they were given by the Utes. Save one turnover, the Utes scored after every turnover by the Bruins. The Utes played efficient offensively and simply played more physical defensively. Utah did an outstanding job of keeping the home crowd in the game, and using that to fuel their drives.

The UCLA defense tried the bend, but don’t break approach; Zach Moss nullified that for the Utes. He found himself consistently in the second level of the Bruins’ defense. Utes quarterback Tyler Huntley only needed 18 pass attempts to rack up 335 yards  in the air.

Unlike the Bruins, the Utes took advantage of every opportunity given to them in this game.