Utah vs. Stanford: Score and Twitter Reaction

The Utah Utes outlasted the Stanford Cardinal in a double-overtime thriller, winning  20-17 in a Pac-12 battle of attrition Saturday evening. Each team's defense was stifling and both offenses were forced into chess-match mindsets, carefully plotting each move in a fight for field position.

Although, the game certainly didn't start out that way.

Stanford began the game on offense at its own 30-yard line. Quarterback Kevin Hogan fired a 14-yard completion to Michael Rector right out of the gate, nothing a quick first down. However, the Utes clamped down and three plays later, the Cardinal faced a 4th-and-1.

Needing only inches, Stanford decided to gamble. The Cardinal showed some brilliant play-calling, faking the fullback plunge and pitching outside to the speedy Christian McCaffrey, who streaked down the field for a 37-yard gain.

The Pac-12 Networks Twitter account shared its thoughts on the talented running back soon after:

Suddenly, Stanford found itself with a 1st-and-goal at the 10-yard line. Remound Wright carried seven yards to the three, and Hogan connected with Lee Ward on a three-yard jump-pass touchdown on the ensuing play, quickly putting the Cardinal up 7-0.

Kurt Svoboda of Stanford University noted it was the fifth-year senior's first-career touchdown reception:

Utah's offense took the field looking for the equalizer. Quarterback Travis Wilson completed a couple of passes to get the Utes an early first down, and facing a 3rd-and-11 shortly after, he notched another with a 12-yard scamper.

Following a couple of nice runs by Devontae Booker, Utah found itself in Stanford territory. Unfortunately, an ill-timed false start was too much of a setback for the offense to handle and punted as a result. On the bright side, kicker Tom Hackett delivered a nice punt that was downed at the 5-yard line, pinning the Cardinal deep in their own territory.

This began a series of strong defensive stands; however, solid punting by Cardinal kicker Ben Rhyne, along with a catching-interference penalty on Utah gave Stanford some nice field position, starting at the Utes' 49-yard line early in the second quarter.

The Cardinal couldn't take advantage, as an Austin Hooper fumble was recovered by Eric Rowe, giving Utah new life.

Wilson began to take matters into his own hands from there. After a couple of short runs, he completed a 32-yard pass to Kenneth Scott all the way down to the Stanford 28-yard line. A completion to Booker got the Utes within the red zone, and the quarterback capped off the drive four plays later with a two-yard touchdown run.

Here's a look at the score, via Utah Athletics:

Both quarterbacks continued to struggle under pressure on the ensuing drives, and the half ended without another point scored.

Robert Jackson of KSL-TV tweeted the first-half stats for both teams:

"

Halftime: Utah 7, Stanford 7. What are your first half impressions? Here are 1st half stats pic.twitter.com/7kqjv69W9t

— Robert Jackson (@rojackKSL) November 16, 2014"

Things didn't improve for either team in the third quarter, as defensive blitz schemes were too much for both quarterbacks to handle.

Utah started strong with a 20-yard run from Booker, but a Henry Anderson sack of Wilson set the offense back 11 yards and forced a punt. This continued to be quite a trend throughout the quarter, as Anderson found his way to the quarterback twice more.

Andy Drukarev of Rivals.com noted the two career highs on the night for the defensive end:

Three three-and-outs kicked off the fourth quarter, and the Stanford offense began to show a glimmer of life thereafter, as Kelsey Young checked in and rattled off runs of nine and eight yards to begin the drive.

Unfortunately, the Cardinal were their own worst enemy. A personal foul on Wright set the team back 15 yards after finally reaching Utes' territory. Hogan and Montgomery hooked up for a 20-yard gain soon after to nullify the penalty; however, a holding call on Ward on the following play promptly ended the drive with a punt.

With just 1:38 remaining in the game, Utah received the ball at its own 7-yard line. Stanford forced a punt, looking to get into position for a game-winning field goal, but a 49-yard boot by Hackett ensured the fourth quarter would end without any points scored.

Head coach David Shaw was asked why he didn't attempt a 51-yard field goal instead of punting and Drukarev tweeted his answer:

The game went into overtime, and Pacific Takes tweeted exactly how long it was since any points were scored in this contest:

That was about to change.

It only took one play for Utah to find paydirt in overtime, as Hogan hooked up with the infamous Kaelin Clay—he pulled the DeSean Jackson against Oregon—for a touchdown. Bryan Fischer of NFL.com tweeted his thoughts:

Although, Stanford would answer right back, as Hooper atoned for his previous fumble by hauling in a 14-yard touchdown strike from Hogan to tie the game back up.

Utah's defense came back to life on another Stanford overtime drive, holding the Cardinal from gaining any kind of steam and forcing a Jordan Williamson 51-yard field goal. The kick was true, but the defensive stand put the Utes in the driver's seat.

After quickly finding themselves at the 3-yard line, Wilson rifled a bullet to Kenneth Scott, who ran a perfect slant for the game-winning score. The Utah Athletics Twitter account relayed the exciting conclusion:

A loss by Stanford drops the team to 5-5 for the year. Shaw spoke of his take on the team's performance after the game, via Matthew Piper of The Salt Lake Tribune:

"

David Shaw said he's "very disappointed in our overall performance today." Credits his D, "but gosh, we still gave them way too much."

— Matthew Piper (@matthew_piper) November 16, 2014"

This team began the season with high expectations, finding itself ranked in the nation's top 25 earlier; however, disappointment ensued, and the Cardinal are still one win shy of bowl eligibility with just two games remaining.

The Cardinal finish their season on a two-game road trip, taking on California in Week 13 and UCLA in Week 14. Neither game is a sure thing, as both teams have offenses that can rival Stanford's stout defense.

Utes coach Kyle Whittingham praised his players following the game, via Piper:

"

Whittingham acknowledges sluggish O, but "I believe we're playing smart, and we're playing disciplined, and tonight, we had just enough."

— Matthew Piper (@matthew_piper) November 16, 2014"

Utah's victory moves the team to 7-3 on the season and will surely keep it in the nation's top 25 for at least another week. The Utes have a difficult contest against Arizona in Week 12 and finish the season at Colorado. If they can win out, they should be looking at a fairly prestigious bowl game.