Defensive touchdowns power Utah to season-ending 28-14 win over UCF

Orlando, Fla. (AP) Utah forced three turnovers and scored two defensive touchdowns Friday night, including a 60-yard pick-6 by Zemaiah Vaughn, as the Utes snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 28-14 victory over UCF.

The Utes (5-7, 2-7 Big 12) scored all but one of their touchdowns because of turnovers, turning a fumble by UCF quarterback Dylan Rizk on the game's opening drive into a field goal. Vaughn recorded a pick-6 midway through the second quarter to give Utah a 10-0 lead.

“That was amazing,” Vaughn said. "I've been waiting for that my whole career. I'm glad I got it before the season came to an end. We just do what we do every week. Our main goal is to get the offense back the ball. I felt we did a good job of that today."

Smith Snowden added a second defensive touchdown, returning an interception 13 yards late in the fourth quarter to give Utah a 28-7 lead. It was Utah's third pick-six in the last two weeks.

UCF outgained Utah 379-198 total yards, but Utah got UCF (4-8, 2-7) off the field, stopping the team on 12 of 18 third downs. The Knights converted on only three of 12 third downs through the first three quarters.

The turnovers put UCF behind on the scoreboard and made it difficult for them to come back.

“You can't really have turnovers,” UCF offensive lineman Amari Kight said. “Having turnovers makes the game harder to win. Tonight we weren't able to overcome those things. They were devastating.”

The Knights lost eight of their final nine games this season after starting the year 3-0 and 1-0 in conference play.

Both teams cycled through quarterbacks throughout the season with each team starting four. It was a big reason both teams fell short of preseason expectations that included Utah being picked as the preseason favorite to win the Big 12. Both teams continued to struggle on offense.

Utah's lone offensive touchdown came on a 15-yard reception from quarterback Luke Bottari to Landen King on one of the first plays of the fourth quarter. That made it 21-7 and a difficult hill to climb for a struggling UCF team.

“It's very rewarding to see them have a chance to have some positive fruits for their labors,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “They've been working hard week after week and have not much to show for it, for them to show the character and resiliency and ability to have adversity and come back one more time together and put together a game like that was very positive.”

Utah's Micah Bernard had 87 yards on 22 carries, surpassing 1,000 yards for the season. Bottari completed 13 of 20 passes for 111 yards.

RJ Harvey, ranked fourth in the nation in rush yards entering the game, finished with 119 yards on 20 carries, scoring a touchdown and adding a receiving touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Rizk finished the game with 118 passing yards, completing only 11 of his 27 passes.

UCF coach Gus Malzahn said aside from winning the game and sending his seniors off with a win, the goal was to ensure Harvey set the program's record for most career touchdowns in UCF history.

Harvey accomplished that with a 5-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter. That gave him 47 total touchdowns in four seasons with the Knights, passing Kevin Smith for the all-time lead. He added a receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter too.

Harvey finished his season with 1,942 total yards and 25 touchdowns. He also completed his first pass for 18 yards in the second quarter.

Both Utah coach Kyle Whittingham and UCF coach Gus Malzahn have faced questions about their futures after both teams struggled this season.

Whittingham has hinted at the possibility of retirement after 20 years coaching at Utah. After the game, he said he did not want to speak about his potential future and wanted to leave the focus on his players and the win.

Malzahn refuted rumors he was considering retiring after UCF's loss last week at West Virginia. When asked about his future following Friday's finale, he said he was concerned with trying to make the team better.

Utah: The Utes ended their season on a positive note after injuries decimated their quarterback room throughout the season. Utah enters the offseason with questions though as coach Kyle Whittingham has hinted at considering retirement after 20 years with the school.

UCF: The Knights ended a season that started with tons of promise in disappointing fashion. The Knights lost eight of their final nine games, changing offensive playcallers and their defensive coordinator midseason as several key players are set to graduate and leave the program.

Utah's season ends at 5-7. The Utes will not play in a bowl game for the first time since 2020, when they opted out of bowl season and since 2013 before that.

UCF's season ends at 4-8. The Knights missed a bowl game for the first time since going winless in 2015.