What a bizarre turn of events.
After completely dominating No. 22 Northwestern en route to a 20-3 halftime lead, the 17th-ranked Utes looked like they were well on their way to coasting to another bowl victory under head coach Kyle Whittingham who came into Monday’s nights game with an 11-1 bowl record.
However, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong in the second half as the Utes were outscored 28-0. The Utes finished the game with six turnovers which helped the Wildcats win their third consecutive bowl game under head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Whittingham said after the game.
The loss was a big one for the Utes which lost just for the second time in its last 16 bowl games dating back to 1999. Whittingham was also looking to become the the first player and coach to win at the Holiday Bowl. He went 2-2 while at BYU and was inducted into the Holiday Bowl Hall of Fame in 2009.
The loss certainly stings for Ute fans which showed out to support the team as they severely outnumbered Northwestern fans in attendance (47,007).
Here’s how Ute fans and players reacted after the wild game:
