Oregon State’s punch-to-the-gut loss to No. 20 Utah in a couple of extra sessions Thursday night was exacerbated by a pair of injuries to key offensive playmakers.
The most serious of those appears to be to Richard Mullaney, who suffered an elbow injury in the second half of the 29-23 double-overtime loss to the Utes and didn’t return. After the game, Mike Riley acknowledged that the wide receiver will be “out for a while, maybe the season.”
Additionally, running back Storm Woods sustained an injury to his right knee in the first half. He didn’t return to the game, either.
The OSU head coach was unable to offer any details on Johnson’s injury or potential missed playing time in his postgame press conference.
Johnson is currently second on the team in rushing with 388 yards and three touchdowns. Mullaney, meanwhile, is second in receptions (18) and receiving yards (216).
On the Utes’ front, it was all about Devontae Booker.
The junior running back ran for 229 and three touchdowns in the win, with the latter score serving as the game-winning points in the second extra session. The game proved to be yet another immensely productive uptick to Booker’s 2014 season. In the first three games of the year, Booker ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns; the last three games, those numbers are 563 and five.
Booker’s play is a significant reason why the Utes are one of four Pac-12 South teams -- USC, Arizona, Arizona State -- with one conference loss apiece. The Utes will face all three of those teams before the end of the regular season.