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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah opened up at Rice-Eccles Stadium with a 73-7 blowout home-opening win over Southern Utah last week.
The Thunderbirds attempted an onsides kick to start the game, and it was quickly all Utes from there as they put up the most points in a game since their 82-6 win over UTEP in 1973. Southern Utah went 1-10 last year and is now in a coaching transition season — they were simply no match for the defending Pac-12 champions.
The offense moved the ball at will to the tune of 599 yards (8.4 per play) and posted nine touchdowns, but a defensive score added some extra importance. R.J. Hubert returned a third quarter pass for a touchdown, marking the 19th straight season that Utah has scored a pick six — by far the longest active streak in America.
That run extends all the way back to when defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley was a safety in the Utah secondary.
The matchup Saturday night against former Mountain West rival San Diego State will offer more insight than the 10-touchdown win against the overmatched FCS opponent.
San Diego State is 7-3 against the Pac-12 since 2016, and the Aztecs even knocked off Utah last year 33-31 in Carson, California. That loss ended up marking the transition point of the 2021 season, as Cam Rising took over the quarterback spot late in the game. He led three touchdown drives and turned an ineffective offense into one of the nation's best.
Although Utah lost that game, the fourth quarter comeback locked Rising into the starting role and sparked Utah's run to its first Power Five conference title.
R.J. Hubert keeping the streak alive 💪 pic.twitter.com/iHQeTkgyhJ
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 15, 2022
With Brewer as the starter, Utah went 1-2 (Game Grader: 48th of 66 Power Five); but with Rising, they went 9-2 (Game Grader: 6th of 66 Power Five).
The opening loss to Florida took away Utah's margin of error, and the Utes must navigate the nine-game Pac-12 regular season and the conference title perfectly — with no mulligan. Since the Pac-12 expanded in 2011, no team has gone a perfect 9-0 in conference play.
Before they take on that challenge, the Utes host San Diego State and aim for revenge.
Game Grader
(Opponent-adjusted statistical dominance via Pick Six Previews)
3-Year Average 2019-21: Utah 68.9 (7th) | San Diego State 51.0 (42nd of 66 Power Five equivalent)2021 Season: Utah 69.5 (7th) | San Diego State 57.2 (27th of 66 Power Five equivalent)2022 Season: Utah 61.4 (24th) | San Diego State 27.3 (60th of 66 Power Five equivalent)
With just a two-game sample size, the 2022 Game Grader has Utah in the Top 25 after a 3-point loss against a Top 25 opponent and a 66-point FCS win.
San Diego State with the ball
San Diego State has had a run-heavy identity on offense recently — think Wisconsin, Iowa, or Kentucky — to complement their stout defenses. That trend has continued into 2022. In the opener, they attempted just 16 passes (completed seven) and rushed 42 times.
The Aztecs offense was shut down in that game by Arizona, a team that went 1-11 last season.
This will be a step up in difficulty from the offense Utah faced last week. Credit Utah for doing what they were supposed to against an FCS offense. The Utes held Southern Utah to under 100 total yards and allowed just four first downs in the entire game.
Against Florida, the Utah pass rush failed to generate a single sack and they only made two plays in the backfield. I am interested to see how they fare in their second FBS test, as another tune-up before conference play.
Utah with the ball
The Utah offensive line is as dominant as I expected. They have led the offense to a 5.9 yards/carry average — even higher than last season's Power Five best 5.6 number.
Against Southern Utah, Rising was focused on the short and intermediate passes, and locked in on his tight ends. While the TE duo of Brant Kuithe and Dalton Kincaid is one of the nation's best, I want to see Rising stretch the defense on the outsides and vertically to wide receivers.
Running back Tavion Thomas rushed for another two touchdowns but fumbled the ball once. This was an issue for Thomas early last season, and ball security has an extra importance within Kyle Whittingham's program. Look for more of a rotation here with more carries and touches to veteran leader Micah Bernard, breakout talent Jaylon Glover, and Chris Curry.
San Diego State's 3-3-5 defense is an outlier scheme popularized by their former head coach Rocky Long and continued under several coordinators. The base formation swaps out an interior lineman for a fifth defensive back, essentially trading size for speed with the goal of defending modern spread passing attacks.
This does not appear to be one of their elite defensive units as Jayden de Laura lit them up for 299 yards and four touchdowns through the air in Week 1. This matchup is a decisive advantage for Utah. Look for Rising to do the same as de Laura against the San Diego State defense.
Game prediction
Using the Arizona-San Diego State opener as a benchmark, this does not appear to be one of San Diego State's stronger teams. With a revenge mindset coupled with a night game home atmosphere, Utah will not overlook this opponent. Look for Utah to light up the scoreboard and roll that positive momentum into conference play.
No. 14 Utah 48 | San Diego State 17
