Silas Bolden scored 2 TDs to help No. 19 Oregon State beat No. 10 Utah 21-7
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Silas Bolden caught a 27-yard touchdown pass and ran 45 yards for another score and No. 19 Oregon State handed No. 10 Utah its first loss of the season with a 21-7 win on Friday night.
Damien Martinez added an early touchdown dash and the Beavers (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) bounced back from last weekend’s narrow loss to No. 16 Washington State.
Utah (4-1, 1-1) was still without quarterback Cam Rising, who warmed up with the team but wore street clothes at kickoff.
Rising, a sixth-grader who led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 titles, tore his left ACL in the Rose Bowl in January and required surgery. He practiced with the team and split reps with Nate Johnson, but was not cleared to play.
Johnson, making his third consecutive start, completed just three of 12 passes for 35 yards before being replaced by Bryson Barnes in the third quarter. Last weekend after that Utah’s 14-7 victory over UCLAJohnson apologized on social media for the lackluster performance.
Political cartoons
But Johnson returned in the fourth quarter and threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Yassmin with just over five minutes left to avoid the shutout.
DJ Uiagalelei threw for 204 yards and a touchdown for the Beavers, who lost 38-35 last weekend in Washington state. Bolden caught six passes for 100 yards.
After Utah turned the ball over on downs on the game’s first series, the Beavers scored on Martinez’s 4-yard run. Martinez led the Pac-12 with an average of 108 yards rushing per game. But Utah held him to 65 yards.
Entering the game, Utah’s rushing defense ranked third nationally, allowing an average of just 51 yards per game and just 2.02 yards per carry.
Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith mixed things up a bit by bringing in freshman quarterback Aiden Chiles for a series in the second quarter.
Before halftime, Bolden dived to knock down a 40-yard pass from Uiagalelei, but the Beavers couldn’t capitalize and were forced to punt.
Early in the third quarter, Bolden connected with Uiagalelei for a 27-yard touchdown. Uiaalelei hit Bolden for the 45-yard scoring run on fourth-and-1 before the quarter ended.
The Beavers fell a bit in the AP Top 25 after last weekend’s loss to the Cougars, but the win over another top-10 opponent should give them another boost. The Utes, meanwhile, are off next week, so it’s possible Rising could return on Oct. 14 against California.
Utah: The Utes will also be without tight end Brant Kuithe, who like Rising has not played this season while he recovers from a torn ACL. … Defensive end Logan Fano was injured in the second quarter and had to be taken off the field. .
Oregon State: The Beavers wore head-to-toe orange uniforms for the first time since 2018. … The game was declared sold out and there was standing room only. … It was Oregon State’s seventh straight win at Reser Stadium. …Calvin Hart. Jr. was sent off for targeting early in the fourth quarter.
Utah: October 14th in California.
Oregon State: At California on October 7th.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
