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Cal vs. Utah 2012 results: Utes earn first Pac-12 victory over Cal, 49-27

Utah's run game, on offense and special teams, was just too much for Cal to handle. Despite a late game comeback attempt by the Bears, the Utes received their first Pac-12 victory on the season.

Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

Utah came into Saturday's game looking for their first Pac-12 victory. Cal didn't want to be the on the losing end of that statistic, however, and the Bears tried their best to make things difficult. Still, the Utes prevailed, 49-27.

Cal's night started off well with a field goal by kicker Vincenzo D'Amato at 12:49 in the first. Then things started to slide down quickly. The kickoff following the field goal was caught by Utah's Reggie Dunn and returned for 100 yards and the touchdown. Later in the first, Cal's Chris Harper fumbled a completed pass that resulted in a recovery and touchdown by Utah.

D'Amato lead off the second quarter with another field goal. Much like the first quarter, after Cal put points on the board, Utah would take over. Kelvin York and Travis Wilson each rushed for touchdowns in the second. Utah went into the locker room up 28-6 at the half.

In the third, Utah's John White rushed for two touchdowns in a row, widening the Utes' lead over Cal, 42-6. At the very end of the third, Brendan Bigelow scored the first touchdown on the night for Cal on a 57-yard run.

To open the fourth quarter, Cal's kickoff following Bigelow's TD, was returned by Utah's Reggie Dunn for 100 yards and the touchdown - again, putting the Utes up 49-13. Cal attempted the comeback with two touchdowns, but the gap was just to wide to overcome. Utah finally gets its first Pac-12 win in a 49-27 victory.

Box Score Hero: Utah's Reggie Dunn had three kick returns for a total of 227 yards and two touchdowns. Each touchdown came on a 100-yard kick return.

Rankings Ramifications: Neither team is ranked and both will remain that way.

But Did They Cover? Utah were the 1.5-point favorites coming into the game. Cal needed way more than that to come remotely close to Utah.

Next Week's Schedule: On Friday, Cal welcomes the Washington Huskies to town. Saturday, Utah is at home versus the Washington State Cougars.

A version of this post first appeared on SB Nation.