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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utes (3-3, 0-3) get back to conference play this week when they travel to San Francisco to play the Cal Golden Bears (3-3, 0-3). After a much-needed win back on the east coast, Utah will travel to the other side of the country to begin the stretch run of its season.
If the Utes can win the Cal game, it can put them on the track to bowl eligibility. With those implications in mind, we give you five storylines to look for in Saturday night’s game.
- Cal’s offense vs. Utah’s defense. With the way the Utes stop the run, Cal’s hopes might be pinned on junior quarterback Zach Maynard. Maynard has been inconsistent for the Bears, so the outcome of the game may be determined by which Maynard shows up on Saturday. Against USC, Maynard threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. He can make plays with his legs when the pocket breaks down, but he likes to throw first. Maynard is most comparable to Keith Price of Washington, who gave the Utes some trouble a few weeks ago. The Utes should stop the run against Cal, but Maynard could give them trouble through the air.
- Can the Utes get their first Pac-12 win? Both teams will be looking for their first conference win of the season, but the Utes will be looking for their first Pac-12 conference win ever. This first win for the Utes would usher in a new era and get a heavy monkey off their backs. That elusive first win could be just what the Utes need to get some momentum back for the rest of the season.
- Desperate times for the Bears. Both teams will be hungry for a win, but the season may hang in the balance more for the Bears than the Utes. Cal has a more difficult schedule in front of them than Utah does, and a loss to the Utes may end their hopes of postseason play. Utah has already made it through their toughest tests of the season, and a loss to Cal could be overcome by wins over much weaker teams down the road. Cal, however, still has Stanford and Arizona State left on the schedule.
- Turnover battle. Both of these teams have turned it over a lot this season. Cal turned it over five times against USC last week while the Utes didn’t turn the ball over once against Pitt. In that game, the Utes showed what they can do when they don’t turn the ball over. They overcame terrible red zone offense and stupid penalties to beat Pitt on the road. Now if only they can play a clean game across the board, which they have yet to do this season, they could make a run at 8-4 or maybe even 9-3.
- Will Jon Hays continue to improve? Ute quarterback Jon Hays has improved steadily since he took over the Utes' offense three weeks ago against Washington. Norm Chow’s mentoring hand is beginning to shine through in Hays step by step. Hays looked overwhelmed when he was thrown into the fire against Washington. Against Arizona State, he looked more comfortable in the pocket, but he tried to force throws that he shouldn’t have. That progressed to a much more cautious approach against Pitt where Hays didn’t make any mistakes that led to turnovers, but he did hold onto the ball too long in some cases, which led to some key sacks. The next step would be to put it all together, finding a middle ground between the two starts. Will Hays take that step this week? We’ll find out Saturday night.
