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: