SALT LAKE CITY — Aside from the final score, a 59-6 beatdown by ninth-ranked Utah, it was all good Saturday for Colorado State.
The Rams (2-6, 1-3) won’t face a better Mountain West opponent for the rest of the season. In fact, CSU will not see Utah for a while, if ever, as the Utes head to the new Pac-12 next season.
“In the second half they took it to us,” CSU coach Steve Fairchild said of Utah’s 35 points after halftime.
In his first start, Rams defensive end C.J. James offered: “We just didn’t show up.”
But Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn was there. After he tossed three interceptions a week ago at Wyoming, he was determined to perform flawlessly. He did, throwing three TD passes.
“Jordan was able to bounce back, and that was a big plus for our entire team,” said Utah receiver DeVonte Christopher, who took a 71-yard play to the end zone.
One big play after another went down, with no presence on the field by CSU’s secondary. Utah had Sausan Shakerin’s 72-yard run to finish the scoring. Wynn also tossed a 48-yard flea flicker to Luke Matthews.
The Rams were no match for the speed and execution of the Utes (7-0, 4-0). It was the worst loss by the Rams since Nebraska pummeled CSU 65-9 in Lincoln in 1996. Utah’s 2004 unbeaten team tagged CSU for 63 points, but the Rams offense then showed enough of a pulse to score 31.
Not this day. It was CSU’s fourth game this season without a touchdown. The Rams twice moved into the red zone in the second quarter but both times came away with Ben DeLine field goals. The first was set up by Derek Good’s recovery of a fumbled punt return.
“They threw a lot of things at us,” CSU quarterback Pete Thomas said of Utah’s defense. “It was real frustrating after we had that great play by special teams.”
As the game wore on, Utah pummeled the CSU freshman for five sacks. Thomas finished 19-of-28 passing for 185 yards.
The Rams tried to keep it competitive in the first half, but as demonstrated three weeks ago against TCU, a half isn’t nearly enough against a top-10 program light years ahead of CSU.
“We’re probably playing our best football right now,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, whose team finished with 648 yards of offense.
CSU’s running game took a step backward with the benching of Leonard Mason, who had revived the offense the last two weeks. Fairchild said players earn time on the field in practice, and Mason did not practice well this week.
It wouldn’t have mattered if record-setter Gartrell Johnson had more eligibility. CSU was not going to be a match for the Utes’ relentless defense.
Utah went for the capper on its first drive of the second half. Wynn executed the textbook flea flicker to Matthews at the CSU 20 — Utah typically dips into the gadget bag at least once a week.
Two plays later, Shaky Smithson stood near the back of the end zone and pulled in Wynn’s third TD pass of the day.
Thomas was sacked and lost the ball for the second straight drive, only this time, Utah recovered. The Utes went to the wildcat formation that has tormented CSU for years. Running back Matt Asiata took the direct snap and bulled ahead for the yards and 38-6 command with 8:09 left in the third.
Twice the Utes attempted to finish off CSU in the first half and twice the Rams stubbornly refused to go away.
Utah pulled in front 14-3 on an Eddie Wide pass from Wynn with 10:11 to go in the first half. Out of nowhere, Utah’s Joe Phillips went for the onside kick, and pounced on the ball as soon as it traveled 10 yards.
Wynn moved to the CSU 14, only to have Phillips called back in for a 36-yard field goal.
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
Three questions for CSU
Who wins the special teams battle? It was the only phase of the game in which CSU was competitive. The big play was Derek Good’s recovery of a fumbled Utah punt return. Good also returned seven kickoffs for 124 yards. CSU punted five times, but Utah only had 5 yards in returns.
Can the Rams put any pressure on Utah’s Jordan Wynn? Defensive coordinator Larry Kerr expected Utah to spread the field more than UNLV did — and he was right. Utah had given up just two sacks all season and Mychal Sisson and C.J. James shared another early. For the most part, Wynn and Terrance Cain did whatever they wanted to do against CSU.
Can the Rams stop a Utah team ranked fifth in NCAA Division I pass efficiency? Utah couldn’t be much more efficient than 32 completions in 40 attempts, no picks and 427 yards and four touchdowns. Cain was just as effective when he came in for Wynn. Cain had no interest in just running out the clock.
Key stat
435: Difference in total offense, as Utah had more than three times CSU’s yardage, 648-213. CSU reverted to early-season form with just 28 net yards rushing.
Key play
Jordan Wynn finds DeVonte Christopher behind the coverage, and Christopher sprints in to complete a 71-yard pass play. The TD moved Utah ahead 24-6 with 3:37 remaining in the first half, and CSU had nothing left.
