Utah came out strong, scoring three touchdowns in its first 10 plays against Colorado State on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium. The Utes went on to a 45-10 win in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl.
Football
Scoring and statistics summary for the Las Vegas Bowl between Colorado State and Utah.
Run the ball and stop the run. Utah made the formula look downright irrefutable in a 45-10 thumping of Colorado State on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Utah leads the nation with 52 sacks, and end Nate Orchard has 17½ of them. Colorado State standout offensive left tackle Ty Sambrailo will try to keep Orchard away from Rams quarterback Garrett Grayson.
Utah scored 21 points in the first quarter — a Las Vegas Bowl record — and didn’t slow down much after that. The Utes ran over Colorado State, 45-10, on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.
After a long run of success in bowl games, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham missed the party the past two years. It’s time to see if he can recapture his magic touch.
The Utes have discovered the benefits of playing in a power conference after jumping from the Mountain West to the Pac-12. “When recruits walk into our building, they know we mean business and that we’re in this to win,” said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham.
When quarterback Garrett Grayson began throwing to Rashard Higgins in 7-on-7 passing drills in the summer of 2013, he quickly discovered what Colorado State knew in the recruiting process. This was one talented wide receiver.
Thirty-eight bowl games are on the schedule, and picking winners might be tougher than making Nick Saban smile. The Alabama coach is absolutely great at what he does, which is frown all the time and win a lot of football games.
The last thing Kaelin Clay wanted to do was stand in front of a bunch of microphones and begin answering questions, but a Utah staffer made sure he met the press. Clay then proceeded to answer every question of what would be one of the most discussed plays of the college football season.
Colorado State will play Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 20 at Sam Boyd Stadium.
The Las Vegas Bowl likely will get Boise State or Colorado State out of the Mountain West, a team that should be ranked at the time of the Dec. 20 kickoff. The field is wide open in the Pac-12 Conference.
It’s the first year of the College Football Playoff, and the effects of the new system on the bowls remain to be seen. But the Las Vegas Bowl is in good shape to survive, officials say.
The Las Vegas Bowl will be played Dec. 20 at Sam Boyd Stadium, according to an announcement from ESPN Events.
Las Vegas Bowl executive director Dan Hanneke is stepping down to take a job with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.