2020 Utah Utes football team

The 2020 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Utes were led by 16th-year head coach Kyle Whittingham and played their home games at Rice–Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, as members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

2020 Utah Utes football
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
Division	South Division
Record	3–2 (3–2 Pac-12)
Head coach	Kyle Whittingham (16th season)
Offensive coordinator	Andy Ludwig (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Morgan Scalley (5th season)
Base defense	4–3
Captains	Jake Bentley Devin Lloyd Mika Tafua Orlando Umana
Home stadium	Rice–Eccles Stadium
Seasons ← 2019 2021 →

2020 Pac-12 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
North Division
Washington x		3	–	1					3	–	1
Oregon y$		4	–	2					4	–	3
Stanford		4	–	2					4	–	2
California		1	–	3					1	–	3
Washington State		1	–	3					1	–	3
Oregon State		2	–	5					2	–	5
South Division
No. 21 USC xy		5	–	0					5	–	1
Colorado		3	–	1					4	–	2
Utah		3	–	2					3	–	2
Arizona State		2	–	2					2	–	2
UCLA		3	–	4					3	–	4
Arizona		0	–	5					0	–	5
Championship: Oregon 31, USC 24
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Note: Due to COVID-19, the Pac-12 suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on November 6. In addition to the title game on December 18, the conference seeded all remaining teams for a game during that weekend.[1] Rankings from AP Poll.

On August 11, 2020, the Pac-12 suspended all fall sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2] On September 24, the Pac-12 announced that football teams would return to play a seven-game conference-only season beginning on November 6, with the conference championship game scheduled for December 18.^[3]

On December 18, with a 2–2 record and one game left to play, the Utes announced that they would not pursue a bid to a bowl game.^[4] The Utes won their final game, finishing their season with a 3–2 record. Running back Ty Jordan was voted the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.^[5]

Schedule

Utah had games scheduled against BYU, Montana State, and Wyoming, but canceled these games on July 10 due to the Pac-12 Conference's decision to play a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[6]

On November 24, Utah's scheduled game at Arizona State for November 29 was canceled after a COVID-19 outbreak within the Arizona State program.^[7] The Pac-12 then announced that Utah would instead play at Washington on November 28;^[8] the Huskies' scheduled game at Washington State had also been canceled after Washington State had a COVID-19 outbreak.^[9]

Original 2020 Utah Utes schedule
Date	Opponent	Site
September 3	BYU*	Rice–Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT (Holy War)
September 12	Montana State*	Rice–Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT
September 19	at Wyoming*	War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, WY
September 26	at California	California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA
October 2	USC	Rice–Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT
October 10	at Washington State	Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
October 17	Washington	Rice–Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT
October 29	at UCLA	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA
November 7	Arizona	Rice–Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT
November 14	Oregon State	Rice–Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT
November 21	at Arizona State	Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ
November 28	at Colorado	Folsom Field • Boulder, CO (Rumble in the Rockies)

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 7	1:30 p.m.	Arizona		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	ESPN2	No Contest[10]
November 14	8:30 p.m.	at UCLA		Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	FOX	No Contest[11]
November 21	8:30 p.m.	No. 20 USC		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	ESPN	L 17–33	0
November 28	5:30 p.m.	at Washington		Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	ABC	L 21–24	259
December 5	8:30 p.m.	Oregon State		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	ESPN	W 30–24	0
December 12	10:00 a.m.	at No. 21 Colorado		Folsom Field Boulder, CO (Rumble in the Rockies)	FOX	W 38–21	0
December 19	11:30 a.m.	Washington State		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	FS1	W 45–28	0
Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to game All times are in Mountain time

^[12]

Rankings

Further information: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	22	22*	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches	20	20*	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV
CFP	Not released												—	—	—	—	—	Not released

Personnel

2020 Utah Utes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Bryan Thompson Jr RB 3 Micah Bernard  Fr WR 3 Tyrone Young-Smith Sr RB 5 Jordan Wilmore So RB 6 Devin Brumfield Jr QB 7 Cameron Rising So QB 8 Jake Bentley Sr QB 9 Cooper Justice Fr WR 10 Money Parks Fr QB 12 Drew Lisk Sr QB 14 Carter Robinson  Fr QB 15 Nick Billoups Fr WR 17 Devaughn Vele  Fr WR 18 Britain Covey Jr WR 21 Solomon Enis Jr RB 22 Ty Jordan Fr RB 24 Elvis Vakapuna Fr WR 25 Kyrese Rowan  Fr WR 26 Maxwell Cotton  Fr WR 27 Pierre Moudourou Jr WR 28 Robbie Colenzo  Fr WR 29 Sebastian Macaluso  Fr RB 31 Aaron Tapusoa Sr QB 34 Bryson Barnes Fr RB 34 Braedon Wissler Fr RB 35 Charlie Vincent  Fr RB 37 Faysal Aden  Fr TE 39 Joe Ludwig Jr TE 40 Ali'i Niumatalolo Sr TE 43 Mufi Hill-Hunt Sr TE 45 Samson Nacua Sr OL 50 Orlando Umana Sr OL 51 Keaton Bills  Fr OL 53 Johnny Maea So OL 54 Paul Maile So OL 55 Nick Ford Jr OL 60 Shintaro Mann Fr OL 64 Marist Talavou  Fr OL 68 Jaren Kump Fr OL 69 Simi Moala So OL 70 Hunter Lotulelei Fr OL 71 Braeden Daniels So OL 72 Luke Felix-Fualalo  Fr OL 74 Jaxon Garcia Fr OL 76 London Bartholomew Sr OL 77 Bamidele Olaseni Sr OL 78 Sataoa Laumea  Fr OL 79 Alex Harrison Fr TE 80 Brant Kuithe Jr WR 81 Connor O'Toole Fr WR 82 Dylan Slavens Jr WR 83 Cameron Gardner So WR 84 Dominique Thompson So TE 85 Soa Rosales  Fr TE 86 Dalton Kincaid Jr TE 87 Thomas Yassmin So TE 88 Branden Anderson Fr TE 89 Cole Fotheringham Jr OL 94 Falcon Kaumatule  Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 0 Devin Lloyd Jr CB 2 Aaron Lowe So CB 3 Drew Rawls  Fr CB 4 JaTravis Broughton So CB 5 Caine Savage Fr S 6 Nate Ritchie Fr DE 7 Van Fillinger Fr CB 8 Clark Phillips III Fr LB 9 Sione Fotu Fr LB 10 Ethan Calvert Fr S 10 R. J. Hubert Jr S 11 Dakota Hansen Jr DE 12 Tyler Wegis Fr S 13 Kamo'i Latu Fr S 14 Ben Renfro Fr CB 15 Malone Mataele So S 16 Zemaiah Vaughn Fr DB 18 Ousmane Doumbia Fr S 19 Vonte Davis Sr LB 20 Jeremy Mercier Jr CB 23 Faybian Marks Fr CB 25 Kenzel Lawler Fr S 28 Jake Biggs Fr LB 29 Nephi Sewell Jr LB 30 Chris Wilson Fr CB 31 LaCarea Pleasant-Johnson  Fr LB 32 Moroni Anae Jr S 38 Stone Azarcon Jr DT 41 Hauati Pututau Sr DE 42 Mika Tafua Jr DE 44 Xavier Carlton Fr DE 46 Miki Suguturaga  Fr LB 47 Rob Bonar Fr DT 49 Pita Tonga Sr DT 50 Fua Pututau So LB 51 Samuelu Elisaia Sr DE 52 Max Miner Fr LB 54 Hayden Furey So LB 55 Andrew Mata'afa So DE 56 Tyler Gonzalez So DT 57 Eli Morrow So DE 58 Junior Tafuna Fr LB 59 Sione Tuha Fr DE 65 Tyler Gleed Fr DE 66 Gavin Nawahine Fr LB 81 Taniela Pututau Fr DE 90 Devin Kaufusi Jr DE 91 Blake Kuithe So DE 92 Maxs Tupai Sr DL 93 Semisi Lauaki  Fr DT 95 Aliki Vimahi Fr DT 96 Tanoa Togiai Fr DT 98 Viane Moala Sr DL 99 Tennessee Pututau Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 22 Jordan Noyes Fr P 33 Ben Lennon So K 36 Skylar Southam Jr P 37 Jared March  Fr LS 48 Noah Rodriguez-Trammell Jr K/P 61 Tanner Cragun Fr LS 93 Keegan Markgraf Sr K 97 Jadon Redding So	Head coach Kyle Whittingham Coordinators/assistant coaches Morgan Scalley – Defensive coordinator/safeties Andy Ludwig – Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Jim Harding – Assistant head coach/offensive line Sharrieff Shah – Special teams coordinator/cornerbacks Freddie Whittingham – Tight ends/recruiting coordinator Guy Holliday – Wide receivers Kiel McDonald – Running backs Sione Po'uha – Defensive tackles Lewis Powell – Defensive ends Colton Swan – Linebackers Ryan Blakney – Offensive Analyst Vince Conti – Offensive Analyst Ryan Lindley – Offensive Analyst Dom Conti – Special Teams Analyst J. J. Dielman – Offensive Graduate Assistant D. J. Gillins – Offensive Graduate Assistant Justin Mallgrav – Defensive Graduate Assistant Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 4/27/23

Game summaries

No. 20 USC

See also: 2020 USC Trojans football team

No. 20 USC Trojans at Utah Utes – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 20 Trojans	3	21	6	3	33
Utes	3	14	0	0	17

at Rice–Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah

• Date: November 21
• Game time: 8:30 p.m. MST
• Game weather: Clear, 35 °F (2 °C)
• Game attendance: 0
• Referee: M. Mothershed
• TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Stormy Buonantony
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter UTAH – Jadon Redding 36-yard field goal, 9:07. Utes 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 3:06. USC – Parker Lewis 35-yard field goal, 5:17. Tied 3–3. Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 3:50. Second quarter USC – Vavae Malepeai 2-yard run (Parker Lewis kick), 14:04. Trojans 10–3. Drive: 2 plays, 4 yards, 0:41 UTAH – Nephi Sewell 23-yard fumble return (Jadon Redding kick), 11:53. Tied 10–10. USC – Tyler Vaughns 8-yard pass from Kedon Slovis (Parker Lewis kick), 9:28. Trojans 17–10. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:25. USC – Erik Krommenhoek 10-yard pass from Kedon Slovis (Parker Lewis kick), 5:45. Trojans 24–10. Drive: 4 plays, 40 yards, 1:29. UTAH – Samson Nacua 7-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Jadon Redding kick), 0:49. Trojans 24–17. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:56. Third quarter USC – Parker Lewis 24-yard field goal, 9:32. Trojans 27–17. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 5:28. USC – Parker Lewis 43-yard field goal, 4:47. Trojans 30–17. Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 3:56. Fourth quarter USC – Parker Lewis 47-yard field goal, 1:03. Trojans 33–17. Drive: 4 plays, -3 yards, 0:26.

Statistics	USC	UTAH
First downs	17	17
Total yards	357	327
Rushing yards	93	111
Passing yards	264	216
Turnovers	2	5
Time of possession	30:41	29:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
USC	Passing	Kedon Slovis	24/35, 264 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Vavae Malepeai	20 rushes, 62 yards, TD
	Receiving	Bru McCoy	5 receptions, 66 yards
Utah	Passing	Jake Bentley	16/28, 171 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Ty Jordan	7 rushes, 32 yards
	Receiving	Bryan Thompson	2 receptions, 48 yards

At Washington

See also: 2020 Washington Huskies football team

Utah Utes at Washington Huskies – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Utes	7	14	0	0	21
Huskies	0	0	17	7	24

at Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington

• Date: November 28
• Game time: 5:30 p.m. MST / 4:30 p.m. PST
• Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)
• Game attendance: 259
• Referee: Mark Duddy
• TV announcers (ABC): Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison, and Stormy Buonantony
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter UTAH – Jake Bentley 7-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 2:18. Utes 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 5:40. Second quarter UTAH – Devin Brumfield 2-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 7:55. Utes 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 59 yards, 2:30. UTAH – Bryan Thompson 13-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Jadon Redding kick), 0:42. Utes 21–0. Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 3:09. Third quarter WASH – Kamari Pleasant 2-yard run (Peyton Henry kick), 12:01. Utes 21–7. Drive: 6 plays, 72 yards, 2:59. WASH – Peyton Henry 26-yard field goal, 7:21. Utes 21–10. Drive: 7 plays, 19 yards, 2:41. WASH – Cade Otton 21-yard pass from Dylan Morris (Peyton Henry kick), 2:49. Utes 21–17. Drive: 3 plays, 58 yards, 1:06. Fourth quarter WASH – Cade Otton 16-yard pass from Dylan Morris (Peyton Henry kick), 0:36. Huskies 24–21. Drive: 12 plays, 88 yards, 3:55.

Statistics	UTAH	WASH
First downs	19	20
Total yards	359	360
Rushing yards	215	88
Passing yards	144	272
Turnovers	4	3
Time of possession	34:24	25:36

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Utah	Passing	Jake Bentley	16/23, 144 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Ty Jordan	10 rushes, 97 yards
	Receiving	Bryan Thompson	3 receptions, 65 yards, TD
Washington	Passing	Dylan Morris	23/38, 272 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Sean McGrew	7 rushes, 36 yards
	Receiving	Cade Otton	8 receptions, 108 yards, 2 TD

Oregon State

See also: 2020 Oregon State Beavers football team

Oregon State Beavers at Utah Utes – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Beavers	0	10	0	14	24
Utes	6	10	7	7	30

at Rice–Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah

• Date: December 5, 2020
• Game time: 8:30 p.m. MST
• Game weather: Clear, 30 °F (−1 °C)
• Game attendance: 0
• Referee: Mike McCabe
• TV: ESPN
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter UTAH – Jadon Redding 33-yard field goal, 10:21. Utes 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 4:39. UTAH – Jadon Redding 20-yard field goal, 6:50. Utes 6–0. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 1:31. Second quarter UTAH – Jadon Redding 27-yard field goal, 12:27. Utes 9–0. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 5:12. ORST – Everett Hayes 33-yard field goal, 9:16. Utes 9–3. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 3:05. UTAH – Ty Jordan 1-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 3:10. Utes 16–3. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 6:06. ORST – Calvin Tyler Jr. 1-yard run (Everett Hayes kick), 0:50. Utes 16–10. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 2:20. Third quarter UTAH – Britain Covey 8-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Jadon Redding kick), 6:22. Utes 23–10. Drive: 14 plays, 89 yards, 7:45. Fourth quarter UTAH – Britain Covey 64-yard punt return (Jadon Redding kick), 14:37. Utes 30–10. ORST – Calvin Tyler Jr. 6-yard run (Everett Hayes kick), 11:50. Utes 30–17. Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 2:41. ORST – Kolby Taylor 21-yard pass from Chance Nolan (Everett Hayes kick), 5:07. Utes 30–24. Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 2:11.

Statistics	ORST	UTAH
First downs	22	21
Total yards	335	403
Rushing yards	133	229
Passing yards	202	174
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	24:15	35:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oregon State	Passing	Chance Nolan	20/38, 202 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Jack Colletto	1 rush, 40 yards
	Receiving	Tyjon Lindsey	3 receptions, 37 yards
Utah	Passing	Jack Bentley	18/27, 174 yards, TD
	Rushing	Ty Jordan	27 rushes, 167 yards, TD
	Receiving	Brant Kuithe	8 receptions, 76 yards

At No. 21 Colorado

See also: 2020 Colorado Buffaloes football team

Utah Utes at No. 21 Colorado Buffaloes – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Utes	7	3	14	14	38
No. 21 Buffaloes	0	14	7	0	21

at Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado

• Date: December 12
• Game time: 10:00 a.m. MST
• Game weather: Cloudy, 23 °F (−5 °C)
• Game attendance: 0
• Referee: Mike McCabe
• TV: Fox
• Box Score, Recap

Game information

First quarter UTAH – Solomon Enis 7-yard pass from Jack Bentley (Jadon Redding kick), 12:03. Utes 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 2:57. Second quarter COLO – Maurice Bell 21-yard pass from Sam Noyer (Evan Price kick), 12:46. Tied 7–7. Drive: 11 plays, 90 yards, 3:33. COLO – Brenden Rice 81-yard punt return (Evan Price kick), 1:30. Buffaloes 14–7. UTAH – Jadon Redding 42-yard field goal, 0:00. Buffaloes 14–10. Drive: 3 plays, 15 yards, 0:13. Third quarter COLO – Brenden Rice 61-yard pass from Sam Noyer (Evan Price kick), 14:39. Buffaloes 21–10. Drive: 1 play, 61 yards, 0:11. UTAH – Ty Jordan 18-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 13:14. Buffaloes 21–17. Drive: 3 plays, 60 yards, 1:25. UTAH – Britain Covey 20-yard pass from Jack Bentley (Jadon Redding kick), 6:23. Utes 24–21. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:28. Fourth quarter UTAH – Jadon Redding 43-yard field goal, 9:19. Utes 27–21. Drive: 7 plays, 28 yards, 3:49. UTAH – Ty Jordan 66-yard run (Jack Bentley pass to Dalton Kincaid), 4:43. Utes 35–21. Drive: 1 play, 66 yards, 0:11. UTAH – Jadon Redding 38-yard field goal, 2:24. Utes 38–21. Drive: 4 plays, -2 yards, 1:52.

Statistics	UTAH	COLO
First downs	22	15
Total yards	432	377
Rushing yards	192	110
Passing yards	240	267
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	36:11	23:49

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Utah	Passing	Jack Bentley	20/32, 240 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Ty Jordan	17 rushes, 147 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Britain Covey	9 receptions, 76 yards, TD
Colorado	Passing	Sam Noyer	16/34, 258 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Jarek Broussard	14 rushes, 80 yards
	Receiving	Brenden Rice	1 reception, 61 yards, TD

Washington State

See also: 2020 Washington State Cougars football team

Washington State Cougars at Utah Utes – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	7	21	0	0	28
Utes	0	7	14	24	45

at Rice–Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah

• Date: December 19
• Game time: 11:30 a.m. MST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 38 °F (3 °C)
• Game attendance: 0
• Referee: Mark Duddy
• TV: FS1
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter WSU – Max Borghi 8-yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 4:34. Cougars 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 57 yards, 4:26. Second quarter WSU – Deon McIntosh 11-yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 8:31. Cougars 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 88 yards, 4:01. UTAH – Britain Covey 91-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Jadon Redding kick), 3:37. Cougars 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 95 yards, 0:58. WSU – Jamire Calvin 8-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (Blake Mazza kick), 1:51. Cougars 21–7. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:46. WSU – Jayden de Laura 3-yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 1:21. Cougars 28–7. Drive: 1 play, 3 yards, 0:04. Third quarter UTAH – Ty Jordan 5-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 6:09. Cougars 28–14. Drive: 9 plays, 81 yards, 4:39. UTAH – Bryan Thompson 9-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 0:55. Cougars 28–21. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 3:38. Fourth quarter UTAH – Ty Jordan 33-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 12:01. Tied 28–28. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 2:15. UTAH – Ty Jordan 13-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 6:29. Utes 35–28. Drive: 2 plays, 13 yards, 0:12. UTAH – Jadon Redding 44-yard field goal, 2:37. Utes 38–28. Drive: 7 plays, 30 yards, 3:37. UTAH – Clark Phillips III 36-yard interception return (Jadon Redding kick), 2:06. Utes 45–28.

Statistics	WSU	UTAH
First downs	17	23
Total yards	396	528
Rushing yards	115	223
Passing yards	281	305
Turnovers	4	3
Time of possession	29:00	31:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Washington State	Passing	Jayden de Laura	17/28, 204 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Max Borghi	10 rushes, 95 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jamire Calvin	7 receptions, 104 yards, TD
Utah	Passing	Jack Bentley	7/14, 153 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Ty Jordan	22 rushes, 154 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Britain Covey	6 receptions, 134 yards, TD