Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The best cure for a blowout loss is to land a blowout win the following week.
Utah bounced back from the Oregon collapse by dealing a 55-3 beatdown against Arizona State Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City. That 52-point margin was Arizona State's worst since joining the Pac-12 in 1978. Utah held them to just 83 total yards on offense, which was another program low, their second-worst yardage total in school history.
The defense smothered the rushing attack to just 43 yards — 1.5 yards per carry — while limiting the pass game to just 40 yards. After knocking out starter Trenton Bourget, the Utes held former BYU quarterback Jacob Conover to just 5-of-22 passing.
Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes set a career record with four passing touchdowns, with the first two going to Devaughn Vele. Ja'Quinden Jackson led with 111 rushing yards, Barnes added 56 on the ground, and even backup Nate Johnson had a long 59-yard touchdown run late in the game.
In total, this was one of the most dominating performances in the league this year, and a much-needed boost for Utah before heading into a tough November stretch. It was the first time since at least 2000 that a Pac-12 team gained 500+ yards and limited a league opponent under 100 yards.
Utah will need to bring their best again Saturday, as they travel to undefeated Washington (1:30 p.m. MST, FOX).
Game Grade
(Opponent-adjusted statistical dominance via Pick Six Previews)
3-year average (2020-22): Utah 66.9 (6th) | Washington 50.0 (41st of 69 Power Five)
2022 season: Utah 69.2 (10th) | Washington 31.2 (62nd of 69 Power Five)
2023 season: Utah 61.0 (24th) | Washington 73.2 (10th of 69 Power Five)
My Game Grader formula is a measure of statistical dominance — and adjusts for opponent strength — and is a key piece of my preseason evaluation. Utah stacked another national top-10 finish last year, and thanks to the high amount of returning production, program-record recruiting classes, and proven coaching staff, they earned a No. 8 rank in my 2023 preseason magazine.
Utah rose four spots in Power Five Game Grader, up to No. 24, after the decisive 52-point, 440-yard win over Arizona State. That is good for just sixth in the top-heavy Pac-12.
Kalen DeBoer took over in 2022, immediately fixed a broken offense, and turned Washington around from a losing record to an 11-2 year. Of course, TCU's turnaround by Sonny Dykes gets the national attention, but DeBoer's work was right up there.
That success has carried over into 2023 as Washington is riding a 16-game win streak and is the last remaining undefeated team in the Pac-12. They have already defeated contenders Oregon, USC, and Arizona, and place 10th nationally in Game Grader.
Washington with the ball
(Opponent-adjusted, per-play rankings via Pick Six Previews)
Washington offense: 2nd of 69 Power Five (overall), 8th passing, 23rd rushing
Utah defense: 4th of 69 Power Five (overall), 5th passing, 3rd rushing
The best comparison for this 2023 Washington offense would be the 2019 LSU offense led by Heisman winner Joe Burrow. It may seem far-fetched at first, but consider Washington's quarterback Michael Penix Jr. leads the Heisman race, they lead the nation in passing (381 yards per game), they are on pace for two 1,400-yard receivers, and they are on a historic pace for long-yardage passes.
Oh, and they are undefeated heading into mid-November.
In its 52-42 shootout win over USC last week, Washington got the rushing attack going, and running back Dillon Johnson ran for 190 yards before contact. The offensive line boasts one of the best pass protection Sack Rates, allowing a sack on just 2% of pass attempts.
This all calls for one of the best "strength-on-strength" matchups of the entire 2023 season.
Utah's defense ranks in the top five of all my opponent-adjusted rankings and features the sack leader in Power Five in Jonah Elliss (12 sacks). The last two "strength-on-strength" matchups haven't gone well for the Utah defense, as USC and Oregon combined to put 69 points on their top-rated unit.
The optimist spin here would be that Utah's defense is noticeably more dominant against pocket passers, compared to dynamic dual-threat runners. USC's Caleb Williams and Oregon's Bo Nix are elusive in the pocket, extend plays, and can burn defenses with scrambles.
While Penix can scramble if needed, he is not the same caliber of runner, and prefers to operate within the pocket. Just 10% of his throws come outside the pocket or on the run, which means the Utah pass rush has a much more predictable target.
Utah with the ball
(Opponent-adjusted, per-play rankings via Pick Six Previews)
Utah offense (2023): 63rd of 69 Power Five (overall), 61st passing, 36th rushing
Washington defense (2023): 33rd of 69 Power Five (overall), 24th passing, 47th rushing
That 55-point performance was exactly what Utah's offense needed to build confidence into a tough November slate. And remember that the Arizona State defense had been playing well, and entered the game with high marks in my opponent-adjusted rankings.
It was important to see the pass-catchers elevate their game. Vele had the first two touchdowns, and then Munir McClain went up to grab a touchdown before halftime. They will need to continue to win one-on-ones for Barnes.
Jackson is again banged up, which means more carries may go to two-way player Sione Vaki, or even some packages with speedy Nate Johnson. Jaylon Glover is the next back up, but losing Jackson Saturday would significantly hurt the offense.
Washington's defense is much-improved from their unit last year, mostly due to an unlucky injury run their secondary faced in 2022. They are now healthy and veteran and have fixed their passing defense issues.
Game prediction
While Oregon may be the most complete team in the conference, think of Washington as USC, but with a better defense. We've seen Utah's elite defense go against two elite offenses so far, and despite strong matchups on paper, the offenses tend to win out in the Pac-12 this year.
Maybe Penix's playing style as a pocket passer helps tilt the matchup toward Utah's defense; regardless, Washington will hit some home runs and will get some points on the board.
The biggest key to this game is whether Utah's offense can keep pace. They did so against a poor USC defense but were suffocated against an elite Oregon defense. Washington's defense is somewhere in the middle.
Utah's offense is still the biggest statistical liability in this game, and along with home-field advantage, this one tilts to the Huskies.
Washington 28 | Utah 20
