Utah Dominates UCF Behind Defensive Turnovers, Covers Spread
Utah defeated UCF 28-14 in Week 14, with the Utes' defense forcing multiple turnovers to control the game. Utah scored on two defensive plays in the second and fourth quarters, including a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown by Zemaiah Vaughn and a 13-yard pick-six by Smith Snowden.
The game remained competitive early, with Utah leading 3-0 after the first quarter before UCF scored seven points in the second. However, Vaughn's touchdown gave Utah a 10-7 halftime lead. The second half proved decisive, as Utah scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Micah Bernard led the Utes' ground attack with 87 rushing yards. For UCF, EJ Colson threw for 70 yards while Trent Whittemore led receivers with nine catches. Utah's defense was the story, generating significant negative EPA for UCF's offense throughout the contest.
The victory saw Utah cover the -10 spread, while the game finished under the 46.5-point total with just 42 combined points.
AI-generated recap · Aug 29, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Utah | 3 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 28 |
 UCF | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Utah | UCF |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 13-20 | 20-41 |
| Pass Yards | 111 | 206 |
| Rush Yards | 85 | 173 |
| Total Yards | 196 | 379 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| 3rd Down | 3-13 | 6-18 |
| Penalties | 8-70 | 7-57 |
| Possession | 27:34 | 32:26 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
RJ Harvey run for 9 yds to the UCF 34
RJ Harvey run for 3 yds to the UCF 37 for a 1ST down
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
Dylan Rizk pass complete to Chauncey Magwood for 11 yds to the UCF 48 for a 1ST down
Dylan Rizk run for 7 yds to the UTAH 45
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
RJ Harvey run for 4 yds to the UTAH 41 for a 1ST down
Dylan Rizk pass complete to Johnny Richardson for 11 yds to the UTAH 30 for a 1ST down
UCF Penalty, False Start (Chauncey Magwood) to the UTAH 35
Myles Montgomery run for 3 yds to the UTAH 32
(10:52) HARVEY, RJ rush to the left for no gain to the UTE32 (FANO, Logan), clock 10:39. PENALTY UCF Holding on PITTMAN JR., Randy enforced 10 yards from the UTE32 to the UTE42 [NHSG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
Dylan Rizk pass complete to Kobe Hudson for 13 yds to the UTAH 29
Dylan Rizk sacked for a loss of 25 yards to the UCF 46 Dylan Rizk fumbled, recovered by UTAH Logan Fano , return for 0 yards
Luke Bottari pass complete to Dorian Singer for 6 yds to the UCF 40
Luke Bottari pass complete to Zacharyus Williams for 17 yds to the UCF 23 for a 1ST down
Luke Bottari pass incomplete
Micah Bernard run for 5 yds to the UCF 18
Micah Bernard run for 4 yds to the UCF 14
Utah Penalty, False Start (-5 Yards) to the UCF 19
Cole Becker 37 yd FG GOOD
RJ Harvey run for 1 yd to the UCF 26
RJ Harvey run for a loss of 1 yard to the UCF 25
Dylan Rizk pass complete to Jarrad Baker for 11 yds to the UCF 36 for a 1ST down
Dylan Rizk pass complete to Kobe Hudson for 8 yds to the UCF 44
Myles Montgomery run for 1 yd to the UCF 45
RJ Harvey run for a loss of 2 yards to the UCF 43
Mitch McCarthy punt for 42 yds, fair catch by Dorian Singer at the UTAH 15
Micah Bernard run for 11 yds to the UTAH 26 for a 1ST down
Micah Bernard run for 5 yds to the UTAH 31
Zacharyus Williams run for no gain to the UTAH 31
Luke Bottari pass incomplete
Jack Bouwmeester punt for 46 yds , Kam Ingram returns for 9 yds to the UCF 32
RJ Harvey run for 17 yds to the UCF 49 for a 1ST down
RJ Harvey run for 3 yds to the UTAH 48
Myles Montgomery run for 2 yds to the UTAH 46
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
Mitch McCarthy punt for 46 yds for a touchback
Micah Bernard run for a loss of 1 yard to the UTAH 19
Luke Bottari pass complete to Carsen Ryan for 2 yds to the UTAH 21
Luke Bottari sacked for a loss of 2 yards to the UTAH 19 Luke Bottari fumbled, recovered by UTAH Caleb Lomu , return for 0 yards
Jack Bouwmeester punt for 44 yds, fair catch by Kam Ingram at the UCF 37
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
Dylan Rizk pass complete to Kobe Hudson for 10 yds to the UCF 47 for a 1ST down
Jacurri Brown run for 6 yds to the UTAH 47
RJ Harvey run for a loss of 1 yard to the UTAH 48
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
Mitch McCarthy punt for 34 yds, fair catch by Dorian Singer at the UTAH 14
Micah Bernard run for 1 yd to the UTAH 15
Micah Bernard run for 4 yds to the UTAH 19
Luke Bottari pass incomplete
Jack Bouwmeester punt for 45 yds, downed at the UCF 36
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
RJ Harvey run for 2 yds to the UCF 38
Dylan Rizk pass intercepted Zemaiah Vaughn return for 60 yds for a TD (Trey Coleman KICK)
Trey Coleman kickoff for 54 yds , Peny Boone return for no gain to the UCF 11
Dylan Rizk pass complete to Kobe Hudson for 4 yds to the UCF 15
Myles Montgomery run for 10 yds to the UCF 25 for a 1ST down
Myles Montgomery run for 3 yds to the UCF 28
Dylan Rizk pass complete to Kobe Hudson for 30 yds to the UTAH 42 for a 1ST down
Myles Montgomery run for 5 yds to the UTAH 37
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
Dylan Rizk run for 4 yds to the UTAH 33
RJ Harvey run for 23 yds to the UTAH 10 for a 1ST down
RJ Harvey run for 5 yds to the UTAH 5
RJ Harvey run for 5 yds for a TD (Grant Reddick KICK)
Evan Morris kickoff for 65 yds , Smith Snowden return for 33 yds to the UTAH 33
Micah Bernard run for 6 yds to the UTAH 39
Micah Bernard run for 12 yds to the UCF 49 for a 1ST down
Micah Bernard run for 9 yds to the UCF 40
Luke Bottari pass complete to Zacharyus Williams for 33 yds to the UCF 7 for a 1ST down
(01:49) BOTTARI, Luke pass to the right complete for -5 yards to FANO, Spencer caught at the UCF14 and advanced to the UCF12 (ALEXANDER, Xe'ree;DOTSON, Daylan), clock 01:40. PENALTY UTE Illegal Touch-Pass on FANO, Spencer enforced 5 yards from the UCF7 to the UCF12, penalty results in a loss of down [NHSG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
Luke Bottari pass complete to Carsen Ryan for 6 yds to the UCF 6
Luke Bottari pass incomplete
Trey Coleman 24 yd FG GOOD
Utah Penalty, Targeting on GILMAN, Alaka'i enforced (Alaka'i Gilman) to the UCF 45 for a 1ST down
EJ Colson run for no gain to the UCF 45
Dylan Rizk pass complete to RJ Harvey for 4 yds to the UCF 49
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
Mitch McCarthy punt for 49 yds, downed at the UTAH 2
Luke Bottari run for 7 yds to the UTAH 9
End of 2nd Quarter
Utah Penalty, Delay Of Game (Luke Bottari) to the UTAH 20
Micah Bernard run for 4 yds to the UTAH 24
Micah Bernard run for 9 yds to the UTAH 33
Mike Mitchell run for 4 yds to the UTAH 37 for a 1ST down
Mike Mitchell run for a loss of 2 yards to the UTAH 35
Luke Bottari pass complete to Dorian Singer for 5 yds to the UTAH 40
Luke Bottari sacked by Nyjalik Kelly for a loss of 15 yards to the UTAH 25
Jack Bouwmeester punt for 62 yds , Trent Whittemore returns for 14 yds to the UCF 17
RJ Harvey run for 1 yd to the UCF 18
(10:35) HARVEY, RJ rush to the right for a gain of 2 yards to the UCF20 (FILLINGER, Van;BARTON, Lander), clock 10:18. PENALTY UCF Holding on KITLER, Caden enforced half the distance from the goal, 9 yards from the UCF18 to the UCF9 [NHSG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
RJ Harvey run for 2 yds to the UCF 11
Mitch McCarthy punt for 39 yds, fair catch by Dorian Singer at the UTAH 35
Luke Bottari pass incomplete
Micah Bernard run for 5 yds to the UTAH 40
Luke Bottari pass complete to Micah Bernard for 1 yd to the UTAH 41
Utah Penalty, Delay Of Game (Jack Bouwmeester) to the UTAH 36
Jack Bouwmeester punt for 48 yds , Trent Whittemore returns for 2 yds to the UCF 18
Dylan Rizk pass complete to Kobe Hudson for 7 yds to the UCF 25
RJ Harvey run for 12 yds to the UCF 37 for a 1ST down
Trent Whittemore pass incomplete
Dylan Rizk pass complete to Trent Whittemore for 9 yds to the UCF 46
RJ Harvey pass complete to Randy Pittman Jr. for 18 yds to the UTAH 36 for a 1ST down
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
Dylan Rizk sacked for a loss of 15 yards to the UCF 49 TEAM fumbled, recovered by UCF , return for 0 yards
Zacharyus Williams run for 11 yds to the UCF 38 for a 1ST down
Micah Bernard run for 1 yd to the UCF 37
Micah Bernard run for 2 yds to the UCF 35
Luke Bottari pass complete to Dorian Singer for 4 yds to the UCF 31
Luke Bottari pass complete to Zacharyus Williams for 4 yds to the UCF 27 for a 1ST down
Micah Bernard run for 1 yd to the UCF 26
Luke Bottari pass complete to Zacharyus Williams for a loss of 2 yards to the UCF 15
Luke Bottari pass incomplete
Luke Bottari pass complete to Landen King for 15 yds for a TD (Luke Bottari pass to Micah Bernard for Two-Point Conversion)
UCF Penalty, Delay Of Game (Dylan Rizk) to the UCF 20
RJ Harvey run for 14 yds to the UCF 34
RJ Harvey run for a loss of 1 yard to the UCF 33
Jacurri Brown run for 38 yds to the UTAH 29 for a 1ST down
Myles Montgomery run for 2 yds to the UTAH 27
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
Dylan Rizk pass incomplete
Micah Bernard run for 2 yds to the UTAH 29
Luke Bottari pass incomplete
Luke Bottari pass complete to Zacharyus Williams for 15 yds to the UTAH 44 for a 1ST down
Micah Bernard run for 5 yds to the UTAH 49
Luke Bottari pass complete to Zacharyus Williams for 5 yds to the UCF 46 for a 1ST down
Micah Bernard run for a loss of 1 yard to the UCF 47
Luke Bottari run for 4 yds to the UCF 43
Luke Bottari run for a loss of 7 yards to the 50 yard line Luke Bottari fumbled, recovered by UTAH Luke Bottari , return to the 50 yard line
Jack Bouwmeester punt for 36 yds, fair catch by Trent Whittemore at the UCF 14
EJ Colson pass complete to Evan Morris for 8 yds to the UCF 22
RJ Harvey run for 17 yds to the UCF 39 for a 1ST down
RJ Harvey run for 6 yds to the UCF 45
(06:27) COLSON, EJ pass deep to the left incomplete intended for MAGWOOD, Chauncey thrown to the UTE15, clock 06:22. PENALTY UTE Pass Interference on DAVIS, Elijah enforced 15 yards to the UTE40 and results in automatic 1ST DOWN [NHSG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
EJ Colson sacked by Lander Barton for a loss of 11 yards to the UCF 49
EJ Colson run for a loss of 4 yards to the UCF 45
EJ Colson pass complete to Randy Pittman Jr. for 16 yds to the UTAH 39
EJ Colson sacked by Karene Reid for a loss of 6 yards to the UTAH 45
Micah Bernard run for 2 yds to the UTAH 47
Micah Bernard run for 1 yd to the UTAH 48
Micah Bernard run for no gain to the UTAH 48
Jack Bouwmeester punt for 42 yds, downed at the UCF 10
EJ Colson pass incomplete
EJ Colson pass intercepted Smith Snowden return for 13 yds for a TD (Trey Coleman KICK)
EJ Colson run for 8 yds to the UCF 33
EJ Colson pass complete to Randy Pittman Jr. for 5 yds to the UCF 38 for a 1ST down
EJ Colson pass complete to Myles Montgomery for 13 yds to the UTAH 49 for a 1ST down
EJ Colson run for 4 yds to the UTAH 45
EJ Colson sacked by Dallas Vakalahi for a loss of 5 yards to the 50 yard line
EJ Colson pass complete to Kobe Hudson for 7 yds to the UTAH 43
EJ Colson run for 7 yds to the UTAH 36 for a 1ST down
COLSON, EJ pass to the right incomplete intended for WHITTEMORE, Trent thrown to the UTE25, clock 01:20. PENALTY UTE Offsides on FITZGERALD, Paul enforced 5 yards from the UTE36 to the UTE31 [NHSG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
EJ Colson pass complete to RJ Harvey for 9 yds to the UTAH 22 for a 1ST down
EJ Colson pass incomplete
EJ Colson pass complete to Randy Pittman Jr. for 6 yds to the UTAH 16
EJ Colson run for 9 yds to the UTAH 7 for a 1ST down
UCF Penalty, False Start (Paul Rubelt) to the UTAH 12
EJ Colson pass incomplete
EJ Colson run for 6 yds to the UTAH 6
EJ Colson pass complete to RJ Harvey for 6 yds for a TD (Grant Reddick KICK)
Grant Reddick kickoff for 12 yds , return for no gain to the UCF 47
(00:17) [NHSG] Kneel down by TEAM at UCF49 (team loss of 2), clock 00:11.