The battle between Steve Birnbaum and Jason Gesser was not the only quarterback rivalry. Both Gesser and Utah quarterback Darnell Arceneaux attended St. Louis High in Honlolulu, Hawaii, making Saturday an alumni rivalry. Arceneaux completed 22-of-36 passes for 249 yards, despite two interceptions. "He definitely caused some problems with his running ability," cornerback Lamont Thompson said. "He eluded the rush and pressure at times." Gesser completed 10-of-18 passes for 75 yards, one interception, and the admiration of his former teammate. "He gave them a lift," Arceneaux said. "You saw when he got on the field that he just made plays that not many people can make."

The Cougars were supposed to bring a dominant defense to the table, but the 27 Utah points left some scratching their heads. "This was a good wake-up call," defensive coordinator Bill Doba said. "They talked about the 1994 defense (No. 1 in the nation), now they need to go out there and get after it." Other reviews were more favorable. "Our defense did a hell of a job out there," Jason Gesser said. "We just kept them out on the field too long. Even if you're the best defense in the nation, you're bound to get tired if your out there that long." Said Darnell Arceneaux, "I think they got tired in the second half and we tried to exploit that. We just kept pounding it and pounding it and then just got some big plays."

September 14, 1991 marked the last time WSU lost in Pullman to a non-conference opponent (34-30 to Fresno State), but the Utes were not surprised to break the streak. "I think they underestimated us," running back Mike Anderson said. "We feel like teams in our league can compete against anybody. That's the game of football." Lamont Thompson, who has seen the Cougs drop nine straight dating back to last season, said it was time to learn and move on. "It is very tough, but we know we have 11 more games and a lot more football," he said. "We're going to try and put this behind us."

It may be the way the ball bounces, but the Cougars had terrible luck in the fumble category. Fumbling four times and losing all of them, WSU granted Utah a handful of extra possessions. In addition, WSU aided the Utes with nine penalties for 69 yards. "I wish you could see our playbook, because right in the front it says to avoid penalties and turnovers," coach Mike Price said. "I am real angry about the turnovers and penalties."

After only six points and 142 yards of total offense in the first half, the Utes tacked up 21 points and 282 yards of total offense in the second half. "I think the first half was the opener," Utah quarterback Darnell Arceneaux said. "I think both teams were trying to feel each other out. It's like a first date, you go out there and try to see where you can get. And then, in the second half, we knew we could get a homerun and we went for it."