Rabbit Evans didn’t need a turnover or a highlight-reel interception to make the defining hustle play of Utah’s win over Houston. One sprint might have mattered just as much.
On third-and-5 during Houston’s second drive, Conner Weigman found Amare Thomas in the middle of the field. Thomas, who is projected to be an NFL draft pick, turned upfield and slipped past Jackson Bennee and Elijah Davis for 56 yards. For a moment, it looked like he had an easy path to the end zone.
Evans erased that possibility. The safety came flying over and made the tackle that kept Houston from turning the play into a touchdown. Utah then held firm in the red zone, stopping Weigman on a quarterback keeper on third-and-1 and forcing a field goal.
The sequence trimmed what could have been a much bigger swing in the game. Evans’ effort saved four points and kept Utah’s deficit manageable.
“The effort is there. They’re relentless to the football.
… There was a deep pass to No. 0 and Rabbit Evans runs it down," Utah coach Morgan Scalley said. “If Rabbit Evans doesn’t take off once he sees that, the guy scores a touchdown.”
“I mean, that’s huge. You got to go back to that.
You got to promote it and your guys have to see how valuable that is, that OK, that wasn’t my mistake, that wasn’t my guy, but I’m going to take off and I’m going to go. He makes that tackle and they don’t get seven.”
For Evans, the play was as instinctive as it was important.
“Honestly, I was just like, ‘Just go get him.’ … When I came down and I took my angle, I really wasn’t looking at the receiver. I just put my head down and just started running until I felt like I got close to get him,” Evans said.
“But that was a huge play in that game because we ultimately stopped him in the red zone. So just that relentless effort that we play with, it continues to show up and we just got to just keep playing, just keep doing that.”
That kind of chase-down effort fits the way Scalley talks about his defense. Each week, he points to plays that reflect Utah’s “relentless, smart, nasty, ballhawks” identity, and this one was tailor-made for the film room.
Evans’ impact has been a constant this season, especially considering what he went through a year ago. In his third season at Utah after missing nearly all of last year with an injury, he has become one of the Utes’ most reliable defenders. He has 30 tackles and a sack, has recovered a fumble, intercepted two passes and broken up three more.
His own explanation for the jump is simple: he feels free.
“I would say just recognizing the plays that’s coming, just being able to play fast, play free. Our coach has given us the luxury to do that. So just continuing to play fast, play confident, really,” Evans said.
That edge will matter even more as Utah moves into the harder stretch of its schedule, with tougher offenses and quarterbacks ahead. The Utes are going to need the same kind of pursuit Evans showed against Houston.
Following the win, Utah drew plenty of praise, but Scalley had a warning for his team.
“Beware the soothing sounds of praise,” Scalley said.
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