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When you talk about the series history between the Oregon Ducks and Utah Utes, it’s impossible to look past one play that took place in November of 2014.
It’s the Kaelin Clay fumble, of course.
Don’t know what I’m referring to? I’d be happy to recount the tale.
It was a late-season game between the No. 4 Ducks and No. 17 Utes. Oregon had fallen behind early, the Utah was driving, up 7-0, early in the second quarter. QB Travis Wilson found WR Kaelin Clay on a deep post, and Clay was off to the races, with a walk-in TD that would have given Utah a commanding lead and all of the momentum.
As he crossed the goal line, Clay dropped the ball and celebrated. Teammates hounded him in the endzone and the score-bug flashed 13-0. But the whistle never blew, and LB Joe Walked picked up the ball and ran 99-yards for an Oregon TD. From there, on, the Ducks rolled to a 51-27 win and would later go on to appear in the first-ever College Football Playoff after Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy.
It’s surely a moment that will go down in Oregon Ducks history, as it was a turning point in one of their most successful seasons ever.
As for Oregon vs. Utah history, that’s also something that the Utes may not want to look back on. Many of the games have come in the past decade after Utah joined the Pac-12, but the Ducks have a career 23-10 record against the Utes. They’ve played 7 times in the past 8 years, with the Ducks winning 5 of those matchups.
The two squads did not face off in 2020 because of the COVID-19 shortened season.
So what will the story be this time around? It has a chance to be massively important, with the Ducks vying for a trip back to the College Football Playoffs should they win out. We will see what the next chapter holds on Saturday night.
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