SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah's defense made a goal-line stand in the final minute and Dres Anderson scored twice, helping the Utes to their biggest upset at home as they held off No. 5 Stanford 27-21 on Saturday.
This marked the first time in school history the Utes (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) have knocked off a top-five program at Rice-Eccles Stadium. They beat No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl following the 2008 season.
The fans rushed the field after the final gun.
Kevin Hogan marched the Cardinal down to the 6, but on fourth down, amid heavy pressure, he overthrew his intended target. The Utes took a knee to end the game and the 13-game winning streak of Stanford (5-1, 3-1).
Utah kept Stanford's stingy defense off balance all day with a mix of draws and wide receiver screens. Anderson caught a 51-yard TD pass and scored another on a short run. Bubba Poole finished with 111 yards rushing.
Ty Montgomery returned a kickoff for a touchdown for a second straight week. This time, Montgomery took the ball a few steps deep in the end zone and weaved through the Utes before going 100 yards, tying a Stanford record.
Devon Cajuste made a diving catch on a fade route to trim the Utah lead to 27-21 with 9:22 remaining, but the Cardinal couldn't complete the comeback.
A week after throwing six interceptions, Travis Wilson showed more poise in the pocket. His only mistake was on a screen, when his pass was tipped into the air and picked off by Joe Hemschoot.
Wilson finished 23 of 34 for 234 yards and two touchdowns. He appeared to cut his throwing hand on a hard tackle early in the third quarter, continuously wiping the top of it on his towel. But the injury didn't seem to affect his touch.
Stanford struggled on offense in the second half, turning the ball over twice on fumbles with linebacker Trevor Reilly recovering both. The Utes turned those into field goals by Andy Phillips, a 23-yard and a 48-yarder. Phillips, a former U.S. ski team member, is 11 for 11 this season.
Kevin Hogan dropped to 10-1 as a starter against a spirited Utah defense.
It was a week filled with controversy for Stanford after Washington coach Steve Sarkisian accused the Cardinal of faking injuries to slow down the tempo, leaving Stanford's David Shaw to vigorously defend his program.
This time, that wasn't an issue.
Utah went on a season-long 99-yard drive in the second quarter, culminating with Anderson's 3-yard score on an end-around. It gave Utah a 21-14 at halftime, marking the first time all season the Cardinal has trailed at the break.
It was a day of firsts for the Stanford defense, which hadn't allowed an opening quarter TD all season until Saturday. Karl Williams scored on a 4-yard pass from Wilson on Utah's opening drive and Anderson later hauled in a 51-yard pass from Wilson. It was Anderson's fifth play of 50 or more yards this season.
Montgomery joins Bob Bryan (1950 against San Francisco) and Damon Dunn (1994 at Arizona State) as the only players with a 100-yard kickoff return in school history.
After his electric run, Montgomery took big gulps of supplemental oxygen on the bench, the thin air of Salt Lake City getting to him unlike Utah special teamers on that play.
Last week, Montgomery had a 99-yard TD return to open the game against Washington.
He finished with three returns for 160 yards against Utah.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has been searching for someone to stand out at tailback between the trio he usually uses. Poole may have just moved to the head of the line. He also had seven catches for 75 yards.
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Pat Graham can be reached at: www.twitter.com/pgraham34
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