Tag: Utah Washington State

If USC doesn’t make the Pac-12 title game this year, it can look to Pullman and Washington State

Yes, the Trojans needed to take care of business at Utah, and they didn’t, but it’s notable that Wazzu had both Oregon and Utah on the ropes, and let them get away.

What do we always say about any pursuit of a conference or division championship in sports? Control what you can control. The USC Trojans led the Utah Utes by 14 points on October 15. They needed to protect that lead. They still led by seven points with one minute left. They needed to protect that lead.

They did not. If they had, they wouldn’t be in an uncomfortable position right now in the Pac-12 championship race.

We can all see and admit that.

Yet, it’s hard to avoid noticing that two of USC’s foremost competitors for the Pac-12 title were both in big trouble in Pullman this season. Both were able to escape Washington State.

Oregon was down 34-22 to the Cougars with four minutes left in regulation and then scored 20 points. Thursday night, Utah was without Cam Rising, Tavion Thomas, and Micah Bernard (on top of Brant Kuithe, who was lost for the season several weeks ago). The Utes still won.

Let’s look at this game from a Washington State perspective:

Utah shows toughness and winning culture, battling significant injury problems at Washington State

The Utes showed why they won the #Pac12 title last year: Given a million reasons to lose faith, backups stepped up and won a tough road night game in Pullman.

This season has not been what Utah coaches, players or fans hoped it would be. Yes, Utah can still make the Pac-12 Championship Game and pull everything together, but the odds of winning at Oregon on Nov. 19 are not great, given the health problems the Utes face across the board.

The details which enabled Utah to beat Washington State — chiefly, that Wazzu lacks a fundamentally competent offensive line and elite playmaking receivers — do not exist for the Oregon Ducks. Utah will need a fully healthy Cam Rising and Dalton Kincaid to win that game, and right now, neither of those players are healthy.

However, discussion of Nov. 19 in Eugene can wait.

Utah had a walk-on backup QB against Washington State in a road night game. The Utes were without Tavion Thomas and Micah Bernard. Keep in mind that Brant Kuithe is already out for the year.

The Utes still won. That’s worth a tip of the cap. This win shows what Kyle Whittingham has built in Salt Lake City.

Let’s take you through all the limitations Utah fought through to get this win:

Trojans: Wired podcast looks at USC-Arizona game plus Utah-Washington State Thursday game

We looked at USC’s next game plus the big Thursday night #Pac12 contest in Pullman, where the Cougars will try to upset the Utes. @IanHest produced the show.

We have a USC football game this week after the off week on Oct. 22. The Trojans go down to the Old Pueblo in Tucson to face the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona is not a good team — no one would claim otherwise — but the Wildcats put up 39 points in their most recent game against the Washington Huskies, and they have scored more than 30 points in several games this season. This is not a cakewalk for the USC defense. The Trojans have to be reasonably good on that side of the ball to win this game. If they perform the way they did against Utah, they might be in trouble.

On the new Trojans: Wired podcast, we discuss USC-Arizona, the national picture for the Trojans, and the upcoming Pac-12 Thursday Night Football special between Utah and Washington State. USC fans will be very interested in that game.

Ian Hest produced our show, as always:

[mm-video type=video id=01gg345p6t7xjvx2zgam playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gg345p6t7xjvx2zgam/01gg345p6t7xjvx2zgam-1726debdee701b2b380d4f7a9d812e72.jpg]

[listicle id=50660]

Utah vs Washington State Prediction, Game Preview

Utah vs Washington State prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, September 25

Utah vs Washington State prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, September 25

Utah vs Washington State How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 25
Game Time: 2:30 ET
Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT
How To Watch: Pac-12 Network
Record: Utah (1-2), Washington State (1-2)
– Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Utah vs Washington State Game Preview

Why Washington State Will Win

Utah is having problems.

The offense isn’t moving the chains – it’s a disaster on third downs – it’s not scoring when it gets its chances in the red zone, and it’s not controlling the tempo or the clock.

It’s got the guys on the lines and the veterans across the board, but the defense got run over by both BYU and San Diego State in losses.

The running game isn’t working like it should, the run defense isn’t playing like it should, and the quarterback play is now a question mark with Charlie Brewer no longer with the Utes. Cameron Rising isn’t a bad option to take over, but this isn’t where Utah was supposed to be just three games into the season.

However …

– Week 4 College Football Expert Picks

Why Utah Will Win

Washington State is having problems.

The offense isn’t moving the chains – it’s a disaster on third downs – it’s not scoring when it gets its chances in the red zone, and it’s not controlling the tempo or the clock.

It’s having Utah’s issues, but at a bigger and different level.

Wazzu’s defense got lit up by USC’s passing game, Utah State had an almost perfect offensive balance, and Portland State was able to bomb away with its passing attack.

This is the game for Utah to try being Utah. It needs to use its power on the offensive front, and there’s nothing for the defensive side to worry about from the Cougar running game.

– Week 4 College Football Schedule, Predictions, Game Previews

What’s Going To Happen

Rising will be great, Utah will run for 200 yards, and for a brief moment, everything will look like it’s supposed to.

Washington State has to find something that consistently works offensively, but that’s not happening this week.

It’ll have a few good drives, and it’ll be in the game for a half, and then everything will kick in for the Utes as they go on a big run in the third quarter.

– Week 3 NFL Expert Picks

Utah vs Washington State Prediction, Line

Utah 36. Washington State 20
Line: Utah -14.5, o/u: 54.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3

Must See Rating: 2

5: Muhammad Ali film by Ken Burns
1: Dear Evan Hansen

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

– Fearless Predictions of Every Game
– Bowl Projections | Rankings

Utah vs Washington State Prediction, Game Preview

Utah Utes vs Washington State Cougars prediction and game preview.

Utah vs Washington State prediction and game preview.

Utah vs Washington State Broadcast

Date: Saturday, December 19
Game Time: 1:30 ET
Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT
Network: FS1

[jwplayer uyHVVqQa]

– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Utah (2-2) vs Washington State (1-2) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on the NFL, go to BetMGM

Why Washington State Will Win

The offensive line hasn’t been bad.

When the team wants to run, it’s not bad at it – even though it’s a product of the system that’s about the passing attack.

It’s almost impossible to power away on the Utah defensive front, and Washington State isn’t going to try. It’s about spacing things out, quick-hitting throws, and finding the holes for Deon McIntosh and company to run through.

On the other side, Utah’s offense is working fine, but there aren’t a slew of deep plays with the passing game and too many interceptions – six in the four games – and it’s not the type of attack that’s going to run away with this and hide with a big 24-point first quarter.

Wazzu might not be dominating offensively, but it can control the clock. However …

Why Utah Will Win

Utah is Utah in time of possession. It leads the Pac-12 and is tenth in the nation, keeping the ball for close to 34 minutes. That’s a big, big problem for Washington State if it’s not able to control the tempo.

The Cougar offense is struggling. It’s okay, but it’s coming off a 263-yard day against USC, the passing game isn’t working like it should, and the defense is having big problems with good passing attacks.

Jake Bentley hasn’t been perfect, but the former South Carolina quarterback has been solid for Utah. He’s coming off of his best game, throwing for 240 yards and two touchdowns. There’s a pass rush to worry about, but the Utah O line is good in pass protection.

The team is playing better – it looked like it needed a few games to warm up and get going, and now …

Schedules, Picks College | NFL

What’s Going To Happen

This is Utah’s bowl game, since it already decided it’s not going to accept a bowl bid if offered one.

That’s a double-whammy for the Pac-12. The league has said it’s only allowing teams with .500 records or better to get a bowl, and a Utah win knocks out Washington State from that.

The Utes will play much stronger on the lines, the Washington State passing game won’t get going, and it’ll be a third straight solid performance as Utah keeps getting better and better … and then the season is over.

CFN Experts Picks College | NFL

Utah vs Washington State Prediction, Line

Utah 38, Washington State 17
Bet on Utah vs Washington State with BetMGM
Utah -10.5, o/u: 57.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3.5

Must See Rating: 2.5

5: Mank
1: Saved By The Bell

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]