U of U Seismograph Stations

The University of Utah Utes took on the Arizona State Sun Devils in Salt Lake City on November 4, 2023. The Utes came into the game with a #18 ranking and a record of 6-2 (3-2 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 ASU game.

The Utes were looking to bounce back after the previous week’s disappointing loss to the Oregon Ducks. The Utes started off fast scoring on their first drive and never looked back. The Utes defense didn’t allow an ASU touchdown all game and only gave up one field goal for a total of 3 points.

On the offensive front, the Utes had their most prolific scoring game of the year with 7 touchdowns and 55 total points to win the game 55-3. In total, the University of Utah had 513 offensive yards and only allowed 83 total yards on defense. Below are the 7 touchdowns ranked from most ground shaking to least:

1. Ja’Quinden Jackson 54 yard TD run with 12:26 left in the 3rd quarter.
2. Charlie Vincent 22 yard TD run with 0:08 left in the 4th quarter.
3. Munir McClain 20 yard TD pass with 0:54 left in the 2nd quarter.
4. Nate Johnson 59 yard TD run with 11:04 left in the 4th quarter.
5. Landen King 3 yard TD pass with 12:59 left in the 4th quarter.
6. Devaughn Vele 11 yard TD pass with 11:36 left in the 1st quarter.
7. Devaughn Vele 3 yard TD pass with 6:37 left in the 1st quarter.

The Utes were so dominant that the seismic signals as the game went on became smaller and smaller as Rice Eccles Stadium cleared out early in the game. However, there were a few #UteQuakes that are of note.

There was a decent seismic signal for Miles Battle’s overturned interception in the 2nd quarter as well as the kickoff following the Utes third touchdown at the end of the 2nd quarter as well as the following 3rd Down Jump. The kickoff was maybe the largest “in game” signal of the day because they played the same music they play when the Utes run out of the tunnel.

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