T.J. Pledger didn’t fumble.
On a day when seemingly no one could hold onto the ball for the University of Utah, the Oklahoma transfer did. His 20-yard touchdown run with 4:53 to play gave the Utes the lead for good as they survived a horrid day of ball security on Saturday for a 24-13 win in front of an announced crowd of 51,483 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Pledger’s touchdown came after the Utes fumbled seven times, three of which were lost. Additionally, a botched Cam Rising-to-Micah Bernard exchange was not ruled a fumble, but rather a drop, and in two instances, Utes lost the ball, but were ruled down by contact.
On the first play of the second half, Bernard lost a fumble deep in the Utah end, Washington State pouncing on it at the Utah 21-yard line. The third play of the ensuing drive saw Jarrett Guarantano go over the middle to De’Zhaun Stribling, who reached up to make a difficult 26-yard touchdown catch.
Dean Janikowski’s extra point gave the Cougars a 13-7 lead at the 13:40 mark of the period. Utah got to within three at 13-10 on the next drive via a Jadon Redding 28-yard field goal, but that’s where the scored stayed as the Utes consistently cost themselves opportunities to tie or take the lead.
Following an athletic Devin Lloyd interception of Guarantano at the Washington State 19-yard line with 6:28 on the clock, backup quarterback Ja’Quinden Jackson, in the game for short-yardage purposes, fumbled the ball away on the 8.
Rising fumbled, but recovered on the next drive, but Redding’s missed 31-yard field goal attempt kept the score at 13-10.
Chris Curry later fumbled the ball away on the goal line after a 59-yard Pledger run brought Utah to the 15 two plays earlier.
Britain Covey fumbled out of bounds on a fourth-quarter punt return, which coincided with him breaking the program record for punt return yards in a career at 903.
All the while, Utah’s defense showed up Saturday, recording six sacks and yielding just 85 rushing yards after consecutive games of getting gashed on the ground by BYU and San Diego State.
The Tribune will update this story
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