Utah’s Dyson Happy to Step Up : Freedom Bowl: Redshirt freshman makes game-winning catch in victory over Arizona.

It was more rhetorical than anything. Utah center Lance Scott merely asked, “Who wants to be the hero?”

Receiver Kevin Dyson just blurted it out: “Me.”

A few moments later, Dyson snagged quarterback Mike McCoy’s desperate, wobbly throw.

Dyson raced to the Utah side of Anaheim Stadium to celebrate. His touchdown catch, on fourth down from the five-yard line with 3:34 to play, gave the Utes a 16-13 victory over Arizona in the Freedom Bowl--their first bowl victory in 30 years.

At the center of it was Dyson.

“Hey, I just saw the ball there, so I caught it,” Dyson said.

Yes, but it was the most important offensive play by a spectacular offensive team that did absolutely nothing on offense.

Deron Claiborne (63 receptions, 743 yards) and Curtis Marsh (61, 859) were the star receivers in the Ute offense. Dyson was in the chorus line of other receivers.

He had 24 catches for 339 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season. And he caught only two catches for eight yards against Arizona. But he was the hero.

The Utes, who averaged 448.3 yards during the season, had only 75 against the Arizona defense. Yet, when they needed one play they managed to come up with it, not matter how last-ditch, desperate and pathetic it looked.

Carl Beck returned a kickoff after a safety 72 yards to the Arizona five with four minutes to play and the Utes trailing, 13-9.

But there the Utes stayed for three plays. McCoy, who completed 11 of 25 passes for 69 yards and had two passes intercepted, missed on three passes. Dyson was close to being the hero on two of them.

On second down, McCoy’s pass was tipped and Dyson saw it falling in front of him. He was leveled by Chris Lopez. On third down, Dyson was wide open on the right, but McCoy never saw him.

“I thought my chance had come and gone,” Dyson said. “I didn’t think I’d get another.”

He thought wrong.

The Utes went to a play put in this week in case the need for a two-point conversion came up. Before the play, Scott made it clear someone had to step up.

“I thought, ‘Somebody has got to make a catch,’ ” Dyson said. “I had to make a play.”

McCoy rolled out, chased by defensive tackle Chuck Osborne, who caught him near the sideline. McCoy managed to toss the ball in the air.

“I thought he was just throwing the ball away,” Dyson said.

On fourth down?

“Or maybe he was throwing to somebody behind me,” Dyson said. “I thought (Rick) Tucker might be open in the back of the end zone.”

Dyson didn’t wait to find out. The ball floated toward Dyson, who had been standing on the goal line.

“It was all real slow,” he said. “I didn’t see my face mask. All I saw was the ball. I had to catch it.”

It ended a season of development for Dyson, a redshirt freshman. He had been heavily recruited out of Clearfield High in Clinton, Utah, and was leaning toward Arizona State, then changed his mind at the last minute.

Dyson could only watch Utah lose to USC, 28-21, in last year’s Freedom Bowl. But he knew his time would come.

“Coach (Ron) McBride convinced me to stay,” Dyson said. “It’s worked out great.”