Utah beats Utah State, but loses QB Travis Wilson to injury
Utah held off in-state foe Utah State in a 24-14 win Friday night in Salt Lake City, but it came at a cost.
The Utes lost starting quarterback Travis Wilson to a left shoulder injury after he landed hard on his left side at the conclusion of a 38-yard run late in the second quarter. Wilson was able to stay on the field for one more play – a three-yard run – but left soon after and was taken to the locker room.
After being replaced by fellow senior Kendal Thompson, Wilson emerged from the locker room in the third quarter wearing street clothes with ice on his left shoulder and a sling holding his left arm in place.
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Utah State tied things up at 14 going into halftime, but Wilson’s absence didn’t affect the Utes all that much in the final two frames. Thompson, who saw plenty of playing time in 2014, calmly led the Utes on a 12-play, 69-yard touchdown drive to open the second half. That drive culminated on a 2-yard Thompson TD run off a read option look.
On the other side, the Utah defense put the hurt on QB Chuckie Keeton and shut out the Aggies in the second half, forcing two turnovers (three total) and giving up just 256 total yards in the process.
The Utes later added an Andy Phillips 37-yard field goal and were able to close out a win – but it didn’t come easy.
With Wilson out, Thompson was steady. He threw for 56-yards on 8-of-10 attempts while adding 23 yards on the ground, but he mainly handed the ball off to Devontae Booker. Booker shouldered the load for the Utes in the second half, finishing with 120 yards and a score on 31 carries against a tough USU defense.
Moving forward, the Utes still have some kinks to work out on offense if they want to be a legitimate contender in the Pac-12. A lot of that, obviously, depends on the severity of Wilson’s injury (head coach Kyle Whittingham had no update after the game).
Though prone to turnovers (in bunches) in the past, Wilson is far more experienced than Thompson and looked to be playing some of the best football of his career so far this season.
Thompson, a shifty 6-foot-2, 195-pound lefty, brings some good things to the table. Still, the Utes are much better off with Wilson leading the charge – especially with a brutal Pac-12 slate on the horizon (beginning with a trip to Oregon on Sept. 26).
But before Pac-12 play begins, the Utes need to take care of business next Saturday at Fresno State.
For more Utah news, visit Utezone.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
