A pair of Pac-12 rivals will get together on Friday night in a big College Football tilt. The Utah Utes have won their first four games on the season and come into the game ranked 10th in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Utah is coming off a low-scoring win over the UCLA Bruins on Saturday. For Oregon State, they dropped in the poll to 19th. They were 14th but took a loss to the Cougars of Washington State.
It was their first season loss, which now puts them at 3-1. The Oregon State Beavers come into this game as the favorites. Oregon State is listed at .-3 over the Utes, with 44.5 points.
Utes Continue to Succeed
Kyle Whittingham once again has his Utes in a prime position to be one of the top teams in all of College Football. Utah is the 6th ranked defense in all of the country, as they are allowing teams to score under 10 points per game on the season. On the offensive side, things have not been as smooth sailing, but it’s enough to win. The Utes are scoring just 22.3 points per game.
The quarterback situation is still murky for the Utes. Cameron Rising still has yet to play this season, while Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson have taken over the offense. While they have turned the ball over just once, they both have struggled behind center.
Johnson was not pleased with his performance in the win over UCLA, writing a public apology. Utah ranks 120th in all college football with just 157 yards per game via the pass.
The ground game is 56th, as they put up over 150 yards per game rushing. Ja’Quinden Jackson leads the team in rushing yards, with 239, but has yet to get into the end zone. Jaylon Glover has 48 carries and has gotten in twice, while Johnson, the quarterback, has three rushing touchdowns and 47 carries.
Utah has a nice trio of wins: Florida, Baylor, and UCLA. Next for the Utes will be a bye week before a game at home against California and then a trip to USC.
Beavers Back to Prominent Position
The former Clemson Tigers quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei has certainly allowed the Beavers offense to spring to life this season. The signal-caller has seven touchdown passes and needs just 172 yards passing in this game to reach 1,000.
Silas Bolden is the top do in the run game. Despite that, he has just one rushing touchdown on the season. The offense for Oregon State goes through their rushing attack. The Beavers are averaging nearly 225 yards per game on the ground. The Beavers are scoring just shy of 40 points per game on the season.
There is no doubt revenge on the mind of the Oregon State Beavers. These two teams played a season ago, and the Utes won the game 42-16. Oregon State is at California next week and then hosting UCLA on October 14th.
Wild One in Corvallis
It’s Friday night in Corvallis, and there is no doubt that Reser Stadium will be rocking.
The problem will be – Utah is still the better football team. This is an excellent defensive unit, and they are determined to return to the Pac-12 title game. Whoever gets to the Pac-12 title game is going to deserve it, with four teams in the Top Ten and six teams in the Top 19.
Look for the Utes’ defense to play the winning factor in this game. The final score prediction for this game is the Utah Utes 24-21 over the Oregon State Beavers.
Bet Utah -3 over Oregon State on Friday night.
