• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Johnson, Utah cruise past Weber State

Sep 28, 2008 - 3:16 AM SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) -- Weber State did well to stop the run, but Utah quarterback Brian Johnson made the Wildcats pay through the air.

Johnson threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns and Matt Asiata ran for a pair of scores as 17th-ranked Utah pounded Weber State, 37-21, on Saturday.

The game was a homecoming of sorts for Weber State coach Ron McBride, who won 88 games during his 13-year tenure with Utah from 1990-2002.

McBride's game plan of shutting down running backs Asiata and Darrell Mack, who each gained over 100 yards last week, seemed to work. But Johnson, Utah's senior quarterback, was up to the task.

Johnson completed 16-of-18 passes for 175 yards through the first two quarters, helping Utah (5-0) jump out to a 24-7 lead at the break.

With the game tied at 7-7 early in the second quarter, Johnson hit Colt Sampson for a 6-yard score to give Utah a 14-7 lead with 12:42 remaining.

After a 33-yard field goal by Louie Sakoda, Johnson connected with Bradon Godfrey for a 10-yard touchdown 43 seconds before the half, giving the Utes a 17-point bulge.

Sakoda booted a pair of field goals around Asiata's 1-yard touchdown run as Utah extended the lead to 37-7 with 10:13 remaining.

Mack gained 58 yards on 12 carries, while Asiata rushed for just 37 yards on 10 attempts.

Cameron Higgins made the score more respectable, throwing for two late scores to lead Weber State (3-2). He connected on 24-of-38 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns.