SALT LAKE CITY -- Quarterbacks are close to becoming an endangered species for both Utah and Utah State once again this season.

Both teams suffered injuries to their starting quarterbacks in No. 24 Utah's 24-14 victory over Utah State on Friday night.

The Utes lost starting quarterback Travis Wilson to a left shoulder injury in the second quarter. Aggies quarterback Chuckie Keeton took a vicious hit to his knee late in the first quarter. Keeton stayed in all four quarters, but he limped around for much of the second half.

Utah ultimately survived Wilson going down. Backup quarterback Kendal Thompson, a part-time starter last season before injuring his knee against Oregon, helped the Utes break a 14-14 tie at halftime with a pair of second-half scoring drives.

"He won some big games for us last year," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "He was doing some really good things before he went down with his injury. If he's our guy next week, and Travis isn't ready to go, he'll be better than he was tonight because he'll be the guy all through practice and preparation. He's a proven commodity in our eyes."

Before leaving the game, Wilson threw for 76 yards on 9-of-12 passing and added 49 yards and a touchdown on five carries. Thompson added 56 yards on 8-of-10 passing and rushed for 23 yards and a TD on six carries.

The Utes (2-0) leaned on running back Devontae Booker to provide the bulk of the offense without Wilson. Booker tallied 120 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries.

"I had a couple of good gains early, but after that I just had to continue to run hard and break tackles," Booker said.

Keeton threw for 256 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 22-of-35 passing for the Aggies (1-1). He also threw a pair of interceptions and coughed up a fumble on a sack. Two of the three turnovers came on consecutive fourth-quarter drives -- stalling a potential comeback.

"They didn't really do anything to slow us down," Keeton said. "We slowed ourselves down. They played a good game but, at the end of the day, the offensive side of the ball is 11 people playing as one. Sometimes we had 10, sometimes we had nine. Other times we had 11. We need 11 every single play."

Keeton played through the second half in pain and appeared barely able to walk after some plays as the final minutes ticked off the clock. The senior has endured three season-ending injuries already in his career, but he stayed in until the end this time around.

"Chuckie Keeton is a winner," Utah State coach Matt Wells said. "He couldn't even walk after every other hit and he gets up and battles. He's a warrior in every sense of the word."

With Wilson sidelined, Thompson helped the Utes go ahead for good with a 2-yard run with 6:35 left in the third quarter. Kicker Andy Phillips tacked on a 30-yard field goal to make it 24-14 early in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Britain Covey set up the field goal with a 30-yard punt return to the Utah State 39-yard line.

The Aggies could not answer. After driving his team down to the Utah 24, Keeton lost the ball on a sack by defensive end Pita Taumoepenu. Linebacker Gionni Paul recovered the fumble at the Utes' 30 with 8:14 remaining.

Keeton marched Utah State down to the Utah 11 on the Aggies' next drive, but threw an interception to Paul in the end zone with 2:58 left.

"If we do our jobs, the plays will come to us," Paul said. "The ball always seems to drop in my hands, at the perfect spot, at the perfect time."

Utah struck first when Wilson ran 12 yards for a touchdown to cap off the team's opening drive, giving the Utes a 7-0 lead.

Utah State struggled to answer out of the gate. Keeton ended the first Aggies' drive by tossing an interception to Utah safety Marcus Williams. The Utes could not capitalize on the turnover and Utah State made good on a second chance to even the score.

Running back LaJuan Hunt hauled in an 8-yard pass from Keeton on a wheel route, and the Aggies tied it at 7-7 a minute into the second quarter.

Utah took a 14-7 lead on a 4-yard dash from Booker with 6:46 remaining in the half.

Wilson injured his shoulder on a running play preceding the touchdown. The Utes also lost defensive end Hunter Dimick to an injury earlier in the half.

The Utes sputtered initially without Wilson, and it opened the door for the Aggies to rally again. Keeton connected with receiver Zach Van Leeuwen on a 15-yard scoring strike, making the score 14-14 with 24 seconds left before halftime.

Utah State fell to Utah for the 14th time in the last 15 meetings in a series extending back to 1892. The Utes lead the series 79-29-4.

NOTES: Utah State fell to 4-53 all-time against AP Top 25 teams. ... 46,011 fans were in attendance, giving Utah its 33rd consecutive sellout at Rice-Eccles Stadium going back to the 2010 season opener against Pittsburgh. ... Utah State QB Chuckie Keeton threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter, giving him 60 career TD passes and tying the Utah State record held by Jose Fuentes.