Uts lose their grip on Pac-12 South as QB Huntley is injured in 38-20 loss to Arizona State

Tempe, Ariz. • Utah's seemingly well-paved road to the South Pac-12 football championship turned extremely bumpy Saturday.

The Utes lost quarterback Tyler Huntley to an apparent shoulder injury late in the third quarter and missed their race to divisional division, falling 38-20 to Arizona State Sun Devil Stadium.

After the game, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said Huntley was killed for the season.

The landscape of the South has been radically altered, in the process. The loss means Utah (6-3, 4-3 Pac-12) is tied with Arizona for first place in the Pac-12 South, USC's pending outcome at Oregon State. ASU (5-4, 3-3) is a half-game behind the Utes, owning the tiebreaker between the teams. Utah will have beat Oregon and Colorado in their last two conference games and get some help from one of ASU's UCLA, Oregon or Arizona.

Utah's future may be complicated by Huntley's injury, Jason Shelley as his replacement. Beyond Utah's division title-hopes, the question becomes how much of this season the Utes can salvage.

Does anyone doubt there's a curse on this program?

The Utes had the lead to 21-20 with a field goal on the drive that began with Huntley's injury, as it was tackled while throwing an incomplete. The Sun Devils then asserted themselves.

ASU quarterback Manny Wilkins threw four touchdown passes, three to N'Keal Harry, the Sun Devils took a 28-20 lead early in the fourth quarter. ASU added a field goal on a drive key by Harry's 35-yard gain after a short reception. Eno Benjamin's 44-yard TD run made it 37-20 with 4:12 remaining.

Utah went three plays and out on its next two possessions after falling behind 28-20.

In the first half, Utah Marquise Blair, UCLA. The Utes absorbed another personal blow on ASU's first drive, when Fred Afia's reserve safety was ejected for targeting. The call was especially costly, because it came on a third-down incomplete and enabled the Sun Devils to complete a touchdown drive.

Huntley escaped the rush and launched a long pass that bounced off the receiver Jaylen Dixon's chest and into the arms of ASU's Aashari Crosswell. His return to midfield started ASU to another touchdown, making it 14-0.

Utah responded with the game's next 17 points, capped by Samson Nacua's 5-yard touchdown reception. But the Sun Devils quickly answered with Harry's second TD game of the game to make it 21-17 at halftime.

In the final minute of the half, coach Ute Kyle Whittingham elected to punt, rather than have Matt Gay try a 60-yard field goal. This decision has not been completed yet. Wilkins to complete 13 of 16 passes for 169 yards in the half.

The teams traded interceptions in the third quarter, with Utah Jaylon Johnson's pickoff stopping an ASU drive in field-goal range.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Harry caught a pass on the middle and turned it into a 61-yard touchdown to make it 28-20.

This story will be updated.