5 things the Utes need to do to beat Oregon State


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SALT LAKE CITY — The difficulty gets kicked up a couple of notches as the Utes turn their attention from a huge blowout win over Weber State to their first Pac-12 matchup of the season.

Utah (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12) welcomes in Oregon State (1-1, 0-0 Pac-12) Saturday to Rice-Eccles Stadium in a late night showdown on national TV.

For the Utes, they face an Oregon State team that lost to Eastern Washington in week 1, but bounced back to beat Hawaii last week.

To help you get the scoop on what Utah needs to do to avoid a losing a third consecutive conference opener, we brought in Utah insiders Mike Grant and Robert Jackson.

Here are five keys for the Utes to come away with the all important 'W' in their first conference test of 2013:

Keys to the Game: Utes ======================

1\. Pressure the Quarterback ---------------------------

It's no secret that Oregon State likes to pass the football. A lot. QB Sean Mannion is averaging 397 yards per game to go along with his seven touchdown passes this season.

For the Utes, who still are working out the kinks with a very inexperienced secondary, the last thing you want to do is give a quarterback averaging a nearly 80% completion rate plenty of time in the pocket to find an open receiver.

"We have to get a pass rush," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "I think that is where it all starts, not let him get comfortable back there and have all day to throw the football because when he does he is very effective."

With Oregon State using max protection formations, Utah will have to bring additional pressure from all angles to try and disrupt Mannion's rhythm and see if they can force him into making a few mistakes.

2. Double up Cooks

Mannion's favorite target, Brandin Cooks, already has 20 catches for 288 yards — through two games. In contrast, Utah's leading receiver last season finished with just 365 yards.

Cooks is an incredibly fast and athletic receiver that loves to get behind the defensive coverage and rely on his quarterback's arm to connect on the deep ball.

Utah can't let Cooks and Mannion get into a groove or it could be a long day for its secondary. Expect Utah to take away Cooks by giving additional safety help over the top.

3. Establish the Ground Game

Utah's starting running back Kelvin York ran four times for 23 yards against Weber State. Not bad, but when you look a little deeper into the stats, York had one touchdown run of 24 yards, meaning that he also had three other carries for a grand total of -1 yard.

Utes "co-starter" James Poole seems to be performing a little better this season with a team-high 15 carries for 91 yards, while Lucky Radley came in during the second half of the game vs. Weber State and also performed well, rushing for over 100 yards and two touchdowns.

I would anticipate, based of the performances through two games, to see Poole and Radley given more opportunities to showcase what they can do. Don't count York out either — there is a reason why he is still the No. 1 on the depth chart.

4. Protect Wilson

Last season's matchup with Oregon State in Corvalis was not kind to Utah quarterback Travis Wilson. Wilson was sacked twice, fumbling on the first one, and also threw two interceptions. The loss still lingers in Wilson's mind.

"I really feel like I missed a lot of opportunities in that game," Wilson told us at Monday's press conference. "That's something that I want to improve... I want to make sure that I make all the opportunities I get count."

The Utes' offensive line will be tasked with protecting their QB, who has shown, if given time, that he can make the correct reads and deliver the ball to where it needs to be. Wilson ranks third in the nation in yards per completion (18.26) and eighth in passing efficiency (202.2).

5. REDemption for the MUSS

Who wants to watch football on a beautiful Saturday afternoon? Apparently not the MUSS. Against Weber State the MUSS was, well, whatever the opposite of MUSS would be.

Homefield advantage is very beneficial, especially in games where the teams are relatively equal on paper.

So on Saturday night, Rice-Eccles Stadium needs to be rocking — creating havoc for an Oregon State offensive line that is starting two new guys — one of them a redshirt freshman — due to injuries. Fans have even taken the initiative to get people in their seats at least 15 minutesbefore kickoff.

Oregon State head coach Mike Riley knows how difficult it is to play in front of a rowdy crowd at Rice-Eccles — just ask him about his team's 31-28 loss to the Utes in 2008.

"That's quite an environment. It's a great college football environment."

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