John White IV ran for 167 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns, leading the Utah Utes to a 31-6 victory over the UCLA Bruins at a cold and occasionally snowy Rice Eccles Stadium Saturday evening in Salt Lake City. Turnovers and penalties killed the Bruins, as did missed opportunities.
The Bruins trailed 7-3 at halftime, but had a chance to either pull within one or take the lead just before halftime. However, a crucial sack of quarterback Kevin Prince on third down made the field goal attempt even longer, and Tyler Gonzalez missed a 47-yard attempt as time expired in the second quarter.
UCLA had 10 of their 12 penalties in the first half, and were penalized a total of 91 yards in the game.
The snowfall on the field led to a footing that UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel called treacherous in the first half, and both teams relied heavily on the run. UCLA had 27 rushing attempts in the first half against just six passes, but once Utah scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to widen their lead to 21-3, the Bruins were forced to pass more often.
A Gonzalez field goal brought the Bruins to within two scores at 21-6 early in the fourth quarter, but Prince's second interception of the game was returned 67 yards by Conroy Black to essentially put the game away. For the game, Prince completed just 12of 24 passes for 146 yards with two interceptions.
White also had a receiving touchdown for Utah.
UCLA returns home to face the Colorado Buffaloes next week.
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