Utah opened its Pac-12 title defense with a 14-7 win over UCLA at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday.

The 11th-ranked Utes (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) were once again without starting quarterback Cameron Rising — as well as a number of other contributors — but it didn’t matter. The defensive performance Utah got against the 22nd-ranked Bruins (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) was one for the ages.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Utah defense gets the game ball

UCLA had 12 rushing plays that gained at least 20 yards in its first three games. No team in the country had more. And the quarterback was bombing away in the pass game because of it. The Bruins entered Saturday’s contest ranked No. 1 nationally in rushing efficiency (7.4 yards per carry) and No. 3 in overall offensive efficiency (8.6).

The Bruins had one explosive run play against the Utes. One. It went for 12 yards.

In every sense, the Utah defense was dominant.

If this team could get healthy, it has a championship ceiling because of the defense.

They are relentless. Karene Reid is relentless. Cole Bishop is relentless. The Utah defensive line is relentless. It’s the best compliment you can pay to a group — they fly to the football.

UCLA was held scoreless through three quarters. The last time that happened was in 2011. You don’t keep Chip Kelly off the scoreboard.

The Bruins were able to find the endzone late in the fourth quarter — a nine-play, 91-yard drive that brought the Bruins within just a single score. On the 13 prior possessions, UCLA went three-and-out seven times — including four consecutive possessions to close out the first half. On the 13 prior possessions, UCLA gained a total of 163 yards (3.0 per play).

Dante Moore got the ball with 3:14 to play in the game, trailing by seven. The Bruins had just scored on their previous possession.

Utah opened the drive with back-to-back sacks, and it ended the drive on fourth down with a sack. Jonah Elliss got home on first down. Logan Fano got home on second down. Sione Vaki got home on fourth down.

Reid was a monster. He finished with nine tackles, two pass breakups, a half TFL, and a pick-six.

The score came on the first play from scrimmage, and it proved to be the literal difference in a seven-point win.

Elliss, by the way, had five TFLs and 3.5 sacks. He lived in the backfield.

Give the whole Utah defense the game ball. That group played outstanding across the board. Guys did their jobs. If ever there was an indication of how strong the program is in Salt Lake City, it would be the play of this defense — which has had players in and out of the lineup — through the first four games.

The defense in Salt Lake City is elite. Given the context, that was one of the best defensive performances from a Utah defense in the Whittingham tenure.

UCLA’s defense is legit

Brock Huard shared an endearing little nugget on the FOX broadcast: D’Anton Lynn, UCLA’s defensive coordinator, gets a text from his father before each game. It doesn’t say “good luck,” according to Huard. It says “good execution.”

Under Lynn’s guidance, UCLA has a defense that is executing at a high level. Things won’t feel good in a loss, but the Bruins went into the season uncertain about what this defense was going to look like and then it went into Saturday’s Pac-12 opener uncertain if the performance through three weeks was legit.

The answer is clear. You can trust this group.

Mostly because this defensive front has a bunch of enforcers. Gabriel and Grayson Murphy, Laiatu Latu, Gary Smith III. When you’ve got linebackers flying into the backfield to make plays — Kain Medrano had 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble; Darius Muasau had a sack — it’s because the big guys up front are winning their matchups and linemen aren’t climbing.

Look, Utah’s offense wasn’t a particularly impressive outfit. The Utes ran the football 45 times and threw it just 17 times. With a backup quarterback — a young guy at that — and a very thin collection of reliable playmakers, the Utes were really limited in what they could do.

But the Bruins still deserve some credit. They sacked Utah four times. They held the Utes to just 3.1 yards per rushing attempt (adjusted for sacks). They had four sacks and 11 TFLs.

The Bruins had a chance at the end because of the defensive performance.

Jack Bouwmeester proves a serious weapon for Utah

The game was a defensive fistfight. Neither offense was in rhythm. Both teams turned the football over.

Getting that kind of performance from Utah punter Jack Bouwmeester in the third phase of the game can’t fly under the radar. Utah controlling the field position battle was a big deal.

Bouwmeester punted eight times in the win. Six of those punts were downed inside the 20. He averaged 44 yards per punt. UCLA began seven of its possessions inside its own 20-yard-line. It set up shop inside its own 15 five times.