SALT LAKE CITY — As the University of Utah football team prepares to go on its first road trip of the season, to San Jose State, the team is all business.

"The No. 1 reason why we go on a road trip is for a business trip, to win a game, and that's it; that's the mentality," senior guard Isaac Asiata said.

Head coach Kyle Whittingham emphasized the need to overcome the rivalry hangover, saying that going back to the last few times the Utes had played a rivalry game early in the season, the Utes had lost their next game.

"Our challenge this week is to not let that happen," Whittingham said. "That's a point of emphasis."

Some series notes of interest heading into this week's contest:

• The Utes hold a 6-1 record in the series; Whittingham is 2-0 versus San Jose, while Spartans head coach Ron Caragher has yet to face the Utes.
• The Spartans haven't beaten a Pac-12 opponent in 10 years, and are 0-10 in their last 10 games versus the conference. Their last win came against Stanford in 2006, 35-34 at San Jose State.
• Ties that bind: Former Utah head coach Ron McBride was an offensive lineman at San Jose State and lettered from 1960-1962. Current Ute assistant head and running backs coach Dennis Erickson was the offensive coordinator for the Spartans during the 1981 season.

Scouting report: SJSU

Head coach: Ron Caragher (16-23 in four seasons)
Record: 1-1
Current line: Utah -13

Offense

San Jose State will present some unique challenges defensively for Utah. Still early in the season, the Spartans boast the Mountain West's most efficient passer so far in quarterback Kenny Potter and an offense that averages 464.5 yards per game.

Potter is on the 2016 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list, averaging 238.5 yards per game passing and having thrown four touchdowns to just one interception.

The Spartans' running game was lackluster in their first game against Tulsa, gaining just 53 yards, but got going against Portland State, racking up 409 yards of rushing on 57 attempts. Both Deontae Cooper and Zamore Zigler eclipsed 100 yards on the night, while a third running back, Malik Roberson, nearly hit the century mark with 92 yards. Roberson also holds what is currently the longest rush of the young NCAA season, an 87-yard run against Portland State.

The wide receiver corps boasts a Paul Hornung Award watch list member in senior Tim Crawley, but beyond that is pretty raw. The offensive line as well is young, without a senior among the starters.

Defense

As impressive as San Jose State may have been offensively versus Portland State, it's been atrocious defensively. In two games this season, the Spartans have allowed opponents an average of 40 points and 485 yards of offense per game; to contrast, the Utes have allowed 486 yards and only 19 points total on the season.

San Jose State is especially porous defending the run, as opponents have rushed for an average of 253.5 yards per contest, 10th-worst in the nation. If there were ever a game for the Utes to introduce a freshman as the starter and try to determine a pecking order, as they plan, this would be the week.

If there has been any redeeming quality for the Spartan defense this season, it's been takeaways. It has a +1.5 average in the turnover margin and ranks 14th nationally after last week's game against Portland State saw the Spartans force six takeaways. Even on a young season, it’s a nice statistic. In comparison, after Utah's dismal display of ball control against rival BYU, the Utes rank 118th nationally at -3.0.

Special teams

Sophomore kicker Bryce Crawford is a perfect 2/2 on field goals and 10/10 on extra points on the season, while junior punter Michael Carrizosa is averaging 42.8 yards per punt.

Sophomore returner Rahshead Johnson is a threat in the kick game, averaging 26.6 yards a return with a long of 41. The punt return game has gone nowhere for the Spartans, as their lone punt return of the season resulted in a touchdown for the opposing team.

Game outlook

The Spartans' offensive prowess thus far will surely be qualified by saying that the bulk of their statistics were put up against an FCS team. The same can be said, however, of the Utes, and they weren't nearly as spectacular offensively against SUU as San Jose was against Portland State.

Still, the Utes hold a significant edge in this game. They are far superior defensively to anything the Spartans have yet seen, and San Jose's poor record against the Pac-12 precedes it. No one is saying this game is a foregone conclusion, least of all Utah, but if the Utes can improve offensively and find a premier, featured running back in Zack Moss, they should be favorites to cover the spread.

Stephen Lindsey is a student at the University of Utah currently working as an intern with KSL.com in Salt Lake City. Contact him at th3sl3@gmail.com or interact via his Twitter handle, @th3sl3

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