(San Diego)- Led by freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn, Utah overcame an early 14-0 deficit to win its ninth consecutive bowl game 37-27 over California in the Poinsettia Bowl on Wednesday night at Qualcomm Stadium.
After Wynn, a true freshman, was picked off by Cal’s Eddie Young who returned it 31-yards to paydirt to give the Golden Bears a 14-0 lead in the first quarter it was all Utes.
The Oceanside High School product, who won a pair of CIF titles at Qualcomm, rallied to throw for a career-high 338-yards and three touchdowns.
“Our coaches told us to calm down,” Wynn said about the quick deficit. “It was early in the game. We knew there was a lot of time left to just slow it down and make plays and claw ourselves back in the game.”
A Joe Phillips field goal and a six-yard toss to tight end Kevin Moeai pulled the Utes within striking distance. Wynn then went back to Moeai and Jeremy Brooks for touchdowns and Utah took a 24-14 lead into the half.
As the offense clicked, the defense went to work on Cal and quarterback Kevin Riley. Following Shane Vereen’s 38-yard scoring run which put the Golden Bears up 7-0, the offense was stoned. Riley was intercepted twice and sacked five times, as Utah blitzed from different directions on nearly every down.
“It’s a great feeling, especially at home, to play the way I did and get a bowl win,” Wynn said. “The defense had a great night. It’s kind of been the story all year. Our defense is solid. We rely on them to keep us in the game.”
The ninth straight post-season victory, comes on the heels of last season’s 31-17 Sugar Bowl stunner over Alabama.
“It’s the work ethic of our players,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “We don’t have any secret, magic way of practicing for bowl games. It’s how our guys go about their business. It’s their work ethic and focus. They understand a bowl game is a reward for a good season but also a chance to win another ball game.”
Leave a Reply