Indiana vs. Utah: Score and Reaction for 2016 Foster Farms Bowl

In a sloppy game with seven combined turnovers, Utah outlasted Indiana to earn a 26-24 win the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl.

Joe Williams, who famously retired in the middle of the season before returning, was the best player on the field in this one. He set a Foster Farms Bowl record with 222 rushing yards and a touchdown while adding 56 receiving yards.

Even Todd Gurley was impressed by the performance Wednesday night:

The Utes trailed 24-23 with about five minutes remaining with lost fumbles on their previous two drives. They used a 10-play, 68-yard drive while riding Williams most of the way, resulting in Andy Phillips' fourth field goal of the game with 1:24 left.

The defense then did the rest to hold on for the two-point victory.

Utah has now won 13 of its last 14 bowl games, while the Hoosiers are still looking for their first bowl win since 1991.

Kyle Bonagura of ESPN provided an interesting note after the game:

Troy Williams had an up-and-down game at quarterback for Utah while throwing for 178 yards, but he made big plays when needed to help his team win.

Devine Redding carried the load for Indiana with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, helping overcome an inconsistent night from Richard Lagow. The quarterback finished 14-of-39 for 188 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The Hoosiers were playing in their first game under former defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who replaced Kevin Wilson when the head coach resigned at the start of December. While the Hoosiers looked inspired with a chance to pull off the upset, they simply couldn't do enough to come away with a victory.

There was a lot of sloppy offensive play at the start of the game, as noted by Josh Dubow of the Associated Press:

More important than just the turnovers was where they took place.

Utah fumbled the opening kickoff, allowing Indiana to score the opening touchdown just three plays into the game. However, the situation was reversed later in the first quarter when the Hoosiers fumbled deep in their own territory to help set up Williams' 16-yard touchdown.

Those easy scores were all that was allowed defensively in the early going. Tricia Whitaker of CBS4 Indy summed up the start of the game:

When Indiana finally moved the ball deep into opposing territory, it was another turnover that stopped the momentum. Redding fumbled the ball at the 5-yard line, killing the opportunity to take the lead.

The Utes responded by driving 95 yards on the next possession, thanks in part to this flea-flicker:

The drive ended with a Tyler Huntley one-yard touchdown on fourth down, giving Utah a 17-7 lead.

However, Indiana answered with a big play of its own with backup quarterback Zander Diamont throwing a 36-yard touchdown pass before strutting down the field:

This was enough to earn a 17-17 tie at halftime. Josh Furlong of KSL described the situation from Utah's perspective:

The third quarter was certainly quieter, with only a pair of Utah field goals on the scoreboard to give the Pac-12 squad a 23-17 advantage.

Zach Osterman of the Indy Star broke down the struggles with the Hoosiers offense:

Unsurprisingly, the game turned around once again on another turnover. A Zack Moss fumble gave the ball back to Indiana, which used the momentum to move down the field on a drive that featured multiple key third-down conversions.

Redding eventually gave the Hoosiers a 24-23 lead with a three-yard run. 

David James of KUTV2 provided his thoughts for Utah:

Yet another fumble gave Indiana the chance to expand on the lead, but the ensuing drive resulted in a missed field goal with just over five minutes remaining.

This left the opportunity open for the Utes, which trusted Williams to take them down the field for the go-ahead field goal.

Although Lagow had a chance for a potential Hail Mary on the final play, he was hit as he threw, and the ball fell harmlessly to the turf as time expired.

Utah earned nine wins for the third straight season and remains one of the most consistent programs in the country under Kyle Whittingham. Even with a disappointing finish to the regular season, the Utes remain a force in the Pac-12 and nationally.

Conversely, Indiana will have a losing record for the ninth year in a row after once again falling to 6-7.  Still, the program has now appeared in back-to-back bowl games and will hope Allen can keep it moving in the right direction.

Postgame Reaction

Williams' huge game should be considered even more impressive after it was revealed the running back was dealing with a cold.

"Fantastic performance," Whittingham said after the game, per Furlong. "Joe was so sick yesterday and couldn't come to the team meetings. Didn't know if we'd have him."

"I just had to go out there like Jordan in the 97 flu game," Williams said, per Kyle Goon of the Salt Lake Tribune.

While it might not be as iconic historically, the individual effort from the running back was a strong showing in a postseason game.

On the other sideline, Allen summed up the effort for Indiana.

"I am so proud of my team," the coach said, per Whitaker. "It's been a tough month. We had our chances just couldn't finish."

The team will just have to wait another year to end the long bowl win drought. 

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.