As the weeks of regular season college football are winding down, the Pac-12 is once again at the foreground of a key matchup that will determine playoff fate. No. 4 Oregon will travel to Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City to take on No. 17 Utah.
Two seasons ago, a matchup of this design would have been laughable as the Utes posed no real threat out on the gridiron. They were bursting at the seams with Pac-12 talent, but couldn’t quite make it work. But this year, Utah has shown it can run with the big dogs and at every corner this season, especially in conference play.
Last week, the ending was of a tragic nature for Kyle Whittingham’s Utes as they sequestered a 19-16 overtime loss to Arizona State on a missed field goal attempt by one of the best kickers in the country, Andy Phillips. Though the loss was a tough one, the Utes have held their own all season long, and it can be assumed that their duel with Oregon will be no exception.
Oregon suffered a devastating loss back in October to Arizona. Since then, the players and staff alike have hit the ground running, culminating in victories that have made the loss to the Wildcats seemingly obsolete. The Ducks game against Utah is really their last true roadblock on the way to the college playoffs.
The Ducks have recorded four consecutive wins, most of which the word “win” operates as an understatement. Obliterated seems more fitting as the Ducks have held their opponents off at an average of 12 points in the last four victories. On the season as a whole, Oregon has allowed a leisurely average of 24 points per game.
There is no denying the beauty of the Ducks’ offense, as they are sixth overall in points for this season at 45.4 on average. Though the Ducks seem to break past its opponents defenses, there is no room for error as the season winds down to a close. They took on a tough defense in Stanford last week, but pulled out a 45-16 victory, making the Cardinal look like a shrubbery.
While the Ducks’ offense is out of this world efficient, the defense lacks in luster and is, for lack of a better word, average. This will be an opportunity for the Utes to make gains on Oregon, if they can find a way to do so.
There are big games happening all around the country as various other teams burrow farther into conference play. The ideal safety net for Oregon, would a shake up in the SEC. This is college football, anything can happen.
The Utes will need to take advantage of everything they have in their arsenal, if they want to pull off this upset, which is indeed feasible. Utah boasts one of the strongest defenses in the country and will need to pull out all the stops to stifle the Ducks scoring. Tailback Royce Freeman will need to work to work his way around the outside to get at Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.
The third unit for Utah is one of the most powerful in the nation, and will need to make big plays as well if it wants to hold off Oregon. Kicker Andy Phillips had what can only be described as an off day last week against Arizona State. With so much pressure riding on one (or two, thanks to the quick whistle of Whittingham) kick, it is hard to condemn Phillips. But, Utah special teams will need to be as tight as ever against the visiting Ducks.
Utah’s last 5 games have all been incredibly close up on the board. The Utes need to be mindful in the red zone. Quarterback Travis Wilson needs to continue on in the read option and not be afraid to run the ball when need be. Wilson is fairly impressive when it comes to avoiding interception but has given up some potentially big plays for the Utes.
Running back Devontae Booker will undoubtedly be the shining star for the Utes once again on Saturday. He is at 990 yard and 8 touchdowns on 183 carries this season. Booker has gained at least 100 yards in each of the last five contests for the Utes. While Whittingham and the rest of the coaching staff tend to rely on Booker a lot (some might argue too much, as he averages 30.4 rushes per game) he really is their best option at toppling the Ducks.
While it is all but written in the stars for the Ducks to put up a victory and march on to playoff glory, there is still a very real and present possibility that the Utes could pull off the upset. Expect Oregon to be, well, Oregon out on the field and for Utah to look boldly into the face of the proverbial Goliath and fight until the end.
*Section Photo credit to Jonathan Ferry, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Matt Kartozian, USA Today Sports
