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Williams runs wild as Utah wins shootout with UCLA

Utah defensive back Brian Allen, left, intercepts a pass intended for UCLA wide receiver Theo Howard during the second half of Saturday’s game in Pasadena, Calif. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Utah defensive back Brian Allen, left, intercepts a pass intended for UCLA wide receiver Theo Howard during the second half of Saturday’s game in Pasadena, Calif. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Associated Press

Five years after Utah running back Joe Williams and UCLA quarterback Mike Fafaul left Fork Union Military Academy together, they both posted record-breaking performances on the same wild afternoon.

Only Williams left the Rose Bowl happy with his effort – and his decision to get back in the game with the Utes.

Williams rushed for a school-record 332 yards and four touchdowns in his second game back from retirement, and No. 19 Utah held off pass-happy UCLA 52-45 Saturday in Pasadena, California.

Williams broke off TD runs of 3, 43, 64 and 55 yards during the greatest rushing day in Utah (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) history, surpassing Mike Anderson’s 1999 record, and the most prolific rushing performance ever by a UCLA opponent.

Williams quit football last month before returning last week when injuries decimated Utah’s depth, and he has 511 yards on the ground in two games since.

“It’s awesome,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “We’ve had some really good running backs come through here, and played against some inferior teams (compared to UCLA). He broke the record of all-time, and we’ve had a bunch of guys in the NFL, running backs that have done a lot of great things.”

Williams didn’t get a chance after the game to talk to Fafaul, his former high school teammate in Virginia.

Fafaul made his own history, setting UCLA records for pass attempts (70) and completions (40) while throwing for 464 yards, third most in school annals. UCLA essentially abandoned its awful running game, which began the weekend ranked 126th out of 128 FBS teams.

Colorado 10, Stanford 5: Phillip Lindsay rushed for 131 yards despite being held out most of the second half and the Buffaloes became bowl eligible for the first time in a decade by defeating the Cardinal in Stanford, California.

Chris Graham kicked a 23-yard field goal with 2:13 remaining after being benched following two earlier misses.

Colorado (6-2, 4-1) went into the day tied with Utah for first place in the South division and inched one step closer toward a possible berth in the conference title game despite an off day by the offense.

The Buffaloes missed three field goals and had a touchdown called back by a pass interference penalty but held the Cardinal to three points while winning for the fourth time in five games. Quarterback Sefo Liufau passed for 135 yards with one touchdown despite being sacked six times.

Stanford (4-3, 2-3) failed to score a touchdown for the first time this season.