SALT LAKE CITY — The magic number is down to four for No. 13 Utah.
Four more wins and the Utes will play in their first Pac-12 championship game since joining the league in 2011.
The Utah defense ruled the day again as the Utes handled Oregon State 27-12 on Saturday.
Utah (7-1, 4-1) holds a game lead in the Pac-12 South over UCLA (6-2, 3-2) with four games remaining, including the Bruins on Nov. 21.
Utah jumped out to a 14-0 lead after its first two possessions of the game and cruised from there. Devontae Booker rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown while quarterback Travis Wilson completed 14 of 17 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown, and his 34th career start set a school record.
Wilson ran for 56 yards and a score while tying Alex Smith’s 21 wins as a starter for second place in school history.
“There was a little more emphasis on the running game, from my point of view,” Booker said. “Just based on the amount of carries I had last week, I was able to get the ball early and do some good things.”
The Utah offense called 12 consecutive runs on the opening drive of the game to put Oregon State in an early hole. Booker carried the ball nine times for 44 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run to end the drive. The drive lasted 6:52 and made the Beavers defense look woefully unprepared.
Things didn’t get any better after the Oregon State offense quickly punted.
Booker opened the next possession with a 14-yard run, but the Utes eventually discovered the forward pass and Wilson hit tight end Harris Handley for a 39-yard touchdown down the left sideline. That drive went 90 yards in just five plays.
“I wish we would have put up some more points but I’m happy with the performance and the efforts,” Wilson said. “It feels good to get a win.”
The rout seemed to be on with Utah up 14-0 less than 12 minutes into the game, but the Oregon State defense found its legs and pitched a second-quarter shutout.
The Beavers offense, however, never got going. Two second-quarter drives ended in field goals, but Oregon State managed just 312 yards all game, and 58 came on its final drive of the night. It entered the game averaging 342.4.
Oregon State (2-6, 0-5) was without starting quarterback Seth Collins, who didn’t make the trip after injuring his knee Thursday. That left freshman Nick Mitchell to make his first true career start at quarterback. He technically started alongside Collins last week for a trick play on their first offensive play of the game.
Collins was a strong runner and helped the Beavers rank No. 6 in rushing offense in the Pac-12, even if they ranked last in passing. With Mitchell, Oregon State struggled to do both.
Mitchell threw for 204 yards and a touchdown. Victor Bolden had 45 yards rushing and 34 receiving yards with a touchdown.
The 312 total yards were the second-fewest Utah has allowed all season.
Tevin Carter and Jared Norris tied for a team-high nine tackles for the Utes. The 12 points allowed is a season-low for Utah. This is the fourth time this season Oregon State has been held under 14 points.
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