GAME PREVIEW: Oregon State at No. 15 Utah

What an upset Saturday! Surely the Utah football team benefited from a wild week in college football, moving up two spots in both the coach's poll and the AP poll to number 15. So far, the greatest of all scenarios is still alive with Utah remaining unbeaten (5-0) as well as BYU. Nov. 22 is not that far away and with mostly conference games left for the Utes and the Cougars, it remains possible for both teams to be undefeated going into that game up on "The Hill." Before that can happen, the Utes must take care of business and this week just became much more of a chore than originally thought. The Utah football team will welcome the Oregon State Beavers to Rice-Eccles Stadium on what will be a short week for the Utes having only five days preparation for Oregon State.

What did we learn about Utah vs. Weber St.?
We learned that the University of Utah respects former Head Coach Ron McBride. He was the man that brought the Utah football program out of total and utter obscurity. Coach McBride brought good recruiting to Utah and built a fine foundation for the Utah football program. He also brought in most if not all of the players on the 2004 BCS Bustin' Fiesta Bowl team!

Other that that, many teams schedule a Division 2 team to even out the schedule to get another home game, and hopefully a win. The Utes accomplished that and got some players a well-needed rest.

What questions remain about Utah?
The main question about Utah remains to be playing cleaner football and whether or not they can do it. To this point in the season, they have been fortunate to be unbeaten. If the Utes can clean up their play, the possibilities are limitless. Every game however there has been fault starts, 12 men on the field, etc. Another question has to be Brian Johnson's decision making. He has a tendency to hold the ball in the pocket. We have all heard of quarterback's having a time clock in their mind after they get the snap. It seems at times that Johnson doesn't. He is constantly holding the ball. That is worrisome because of the negative things that happened against Michigan and Air Force, namely: interceptions and fumbles. He needs to get into a rhythm to where the ball is out much quicker. One thing needs to happen in order for him to get the ball out quicker. The run game needs to continue to be an option. If Oregon State makes Utah a one-dimensional passing team, then the Beavers will give the Utes trouble on the defensive front. If the Utes can get the run game going early, it will keep the Beavers honest. Believe it or not the No. 1 team in the country got down early and became extremely one-dimensional. When that happened, the Beavers really made Mark Sanchez look mediocre at best.

What can Utah expect from Oregon State?
It is very hard to say who the Utah football team can expect, the Oregon State team that lost to a decent Stanford team in a tight one on the road, the one that got blown out at Penn State, or the team that we all saw at the beginning of upset week of college football when the Beavers beat then No. 1 USC. Obviously the Utes will be preparing for the team that beat the then top ranked team in the nation. If that is the case, then the Utes will have to stick with what they do best. They must stop the run. Oregon State true freshman JaQuizz Rogers leads the nation's true freshman averaging over 112 yards a game. He was dynamic in the game against USC. He had 37 carries for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rogers is feet 6 inches tall and 180 pounds. In three straight starts he has 99 carries for 449 yards and is the reigning PAC-10 offensive player of the week. Junior quarterback Lyle Moevao is playing much better this year and is completing his passes at a 61.8 percentage rate and is on pace to throw for over 3,200 yards. Moevao ranks 1st in the PAC-10 and ninth in the nation in completions per game, so the Utah secondary will have its hands full as well. Oregon State has won three of its last five games on the road against teams ranked in the AP Top 25.

One possible area that might help the Utah football team is the letdown factor. Oregon State just beat the then #1 team in the country. While Utah is ranked 15th in the country, the Beavers are coming off a high of highs. They played about as well as they could have, especially in the 1st half being up 21-0. Now, they go on the road for their last non-conference game of the year to a non-BCS conference. Sounds like a trap game.

What can we expect from Utah vs. Oregon State?
The Utah football team will be ready, even after a short week of preparation for the Oregon State Beavers. Since 2004, the Utes are 9-3 against teams from a BCS conference. Since 2003, the Utes are 5-2 against the PAC-10 and 4-0 in the friendly confines of Rice-Eccles Stadium. Oregon State leads the series with a 9-4-1 advantage and is 4-2 all-time in Salt Lake City. Last year it appeared as if the Utes were on their way to a win until Matt Asiata broke his leg and Brian Johnson went out with injuries. The Utes couldn't recover after that losing the game 24-7. A positive going for the Utes this year is that most if not all of their skill guys will be playing. It is imperative that Utah gets Darrel Mack and Matt Asiata the ball. Asiata will definitely be geared up for this game after what happened in last year's game. Utah ranks 3rd in the nation in time of possession, that will be an important stat in Thursday's game. If the Utah offense can stay on the field and keep the Utah defense fresh, good things will happen. The Utes also need to take care of the ball. The Beavers are tied for 7th in the nation in forced turnovers since 2001 and when Oregon State commits fewer turnovers than their opponent, they are 23-2. The Utes are 19th on that same list, so the Beavers better take care of the ball as well.

It is about time that we see the Utah football team put an entire game together offensively. The running back duo is just that, a duo. Darrel Mack and Matt Asiata are within 1 rushing attempt of each other, and Brian Johnson is spreading the ball around. Braden Godfrey has 22 catches on the year and Brent Casteel and Freddie Brown both have 18 catches. The key for the Utes is balance with an emphasis in run. That will open up everything as it always does.

This would be a great opportunity for Utah to solidify itself among the top 15 teams in the country. The Utes could gain so much confidence from beating Oregon State. If the Utes want to make any noise in the college football postseason, they have to start with Thursday night.

Miscellaneous:
Oregon State has the longest active bowl win streak in the PAC-10 at 4 games. Oregon State has the second best record over the last 2 seasons in the PAC-10. USC and Oregon State are the only 2 PAC-10 teams to finish out the year ranked in the AP Top 25.

Conclusion:
This could be the make or break game for the Utes. If the Utes could beat the Beavers soundly, that would provide confidence going into the second half of the season. A win over the team that just upset USC would most certainly give the Utah football team an argument to move up in the polls and continue their pursuit of another BCS game. What an opportunity to make some noise on a nationally televised game. There are 2 magic numbers in this game. The first has to be turnovers. If the Utes can win the turnover battle, they will be ahead in the game. The 2nd is the rushing yards. If the Utes can rush for over 150 yards, that will give them a win.

Related topics