October 28, 2023

The University of Utah Utes took on the Oregon Ducks in Salt Lake City on October 28, 2023. The Utes came into the game with a #13 ranking and a record of 6-1 (3-1 Pac-12).

During the 2023 season, the University of Utah Seismograph Stations installed a seismometer on the ground floor of the stadium to record ground shaking related to football games. Below is a summary of some recordings during the Oregon game.

The Utes were riding a high coming into the game with the combination of the previous week’s win over the USC Trojans and the fact that ESPN College GameDay broadcasted from the University of Utah campus earlier in the day. This was evident in that the seismic signal from the Utes running out of the tunnel proved to be the largest of the season. However, this high quickly faded as the Oregon Ducks dominated the Utes winning the game 35-6.

The Ducks started off fast scoring on their first drive and never looked back. The Utes were held without a touchdown in a game for the first time during this season. Our only points came from two Cole Becker field goals in the first half.

The one play that showed a good seismic signal was the tackle for loss/fumble recovery by Junior Tafuna with 7:06 left in the 1st quarter.

In the words of the great coach Ted Lasso, the Utes need to be like a goldfish and forget this game and move on to the Arizona State University Sun Devils, who are coming to Salt Lake City on Saturday, November 4th. We’ll see you then and Go Utes!

Learn more about the UteQuake Project

*Note: UteQuakes are not real earthquakes, they are measurements of ground motion caused by fans in the stadium.

For questions, please email Jamie Farrell at jamie.farrell@ utah.edu