The Utes (3-3) rolled up 582 yards against Louisville's shaky defense, sending the Cardinals (3-3) to their third loss in four games.

Two weeks after lowly Syracuse stunned the Cardinals with big play after big play and ended Louisville's 20-game home winning streak, the Utes were more pragmatic in sending the Cardinals to consecutive home losses for the first time since 1999.

Utah didn't run free through a stunned Louisville secondary like the Orange, instead moving steadily behind the play of Johnson and Mack. Johnson spread the ball to eight receivers and added 37 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the Utes.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham worried about the Utes getting into a shootout with the nation's second-ranked offense. But Utah had no problems piling up the points against one of the country's worst defenses.

Brian Brohm completed 39 of 58 passes for 467 yards and four touchdowns for Louisville, which played without three of its top receivers. Harry Douglas missed his second straight game with an injury. JaJuan Spillman was suspended indefinitely Monday, and Mario Urrutia wasn't in uniform.

Patrick Carter filled in admirably, catching nine passes for 154 yards and a score, but Louisville's late rally fell short.

The Cardinals trailed by 20 early in the fourth quarter before a pair touchdown passes pulled them within six with 3:30 to play. But the Utes recovered an onside kick and Louie Sakoda hit a 46-yard field goal with 1:13 left to seal it.

Louisville thought it had addressed the majority of its defensive problems in a win over North Carolina State last week. But it didn't take long for Utah's spread offense to find plenty of open spaces. The Cardinals managed to keep the Utes in front of them — Utah's longest play was 35 yards — but couldn't get Utah off the field when it mattered.

The Utes never trailed, taking control early on an efficient 97-yard drive. Johnson hit Derrek Richards for a 35-yard gain to get into Louisville territory, and Johnson hit Brandon Godfrey for a 7-yard score to put the Utes up.

Mack scored on a 3-yard run and backup quarterback Corbin Louks scored on a 16-yard sprint up the middle before the Cardinals tried to get back in it on a touchdown pass from Brohm to Trent Guy.

When the Cardinals did appear to get stops, the Utes gambled. Trailing 20-7 late in the first half, the Cardinals seemed to finally get a reprieve when they stopped Utah at the Louisville 12. Out trotted Utah's field goal unit, but Godfrey, who doubles as the holder, stood up when he took the snap and tossed to a wide-open Matt Sims for a 10-yard gain. Mack plowed into the end zone on the next play and Utah led 27-7 at the half.