“So it’s a very, very interesting proposition and we’ll be looking closely where we’re at”. What Washington defensive player should Utah keep an eye on? The only game where they glaringly struggled was on the road against USC, where they allowed 4.87 yards a rush.
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November is packed with great Pac-12 games. The UW held Boise State to 16 points, 23.9 below its season average; USC to 12, 25.4 shy of its; and Arizona to three, 38.8 under the average. The first step is getting to the Pac-12 Championship Game and as it stands one team is on the right path. All they have to do is win. Sophomore outside hitter Mary-Kate Marshall leads the team and ranks seventh in the conference with 3.86 kills and eighth with 4.01 points per set. Former Logan High product Luke Falk might be the most underrated QB in the country and should give a porous UCLA defense everything they can handle. He also rushed for 56 yards and a score. Wilson is a dual threat as the team’s second-leading rusher with 72 carries for 294 yards and four touchdowns. Browning was the first true freshman ever to start a season opener at quarterback for Washington… he was the first true freshman QB to start in any game since Marques Tuiasosopo vs. Oregon in 1997, which was until this year, the only true freshman QB start in modern UW history…
-RB Devontae Booker, a senior, needs only 34 yards rushing to reach his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. He is averaging 124.2 yards in Pac-12 games, including a 130.8-yard average in Utah’s four October games.
When you look at Washington, California, Oregon, Arizona State, and now Washington State, all these teams have the potential to knock anyone, and each other off. Colorado has been competitive this season, and if Arizona can get the ship right, they have the potential to knock off Utah in a few weeks, or beat their rivals up north. “I just think he’s extremely intelligent and he has a tremendous grasp of what they’re trying to do offensively”. – Utah coach Kyle Whittingham about the College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday. Utah’s only loss was a harsh reality check for those dreaming of a flawless season, and the entire Utah football community seems to have lost a few of the special feeling surrounding this year’s team. If Utah can win the turnover battle and take advantage in the red zone, it should be in good shape to break the streak on the road. Smith has 13 catches for 143 yards.
While Arizona State now trails the Utes by just two games in the division, they also lost to Utah earlier in the season, meaning even in the event of an identical record at the end of the season, the Utes would own the tie-breaker. That’s bad news this week for Washington, which ranks No. 11 in the conference with 132.1 yards rushing a game.
Points may be at a premium Saturday when the 13th-ranked Utes visit Washington and the league’s best scoring defense. Colorado, despite scaring UCLA, appears poised to finish the season with its one conference victory over the lowly Oregon State Beavers. The Beavers, primarily a running team, started backup QB Nick Mitchell, a redshirt freshman, who did not get rattled by Utah’s defense. His touchdown pass with 8:07 left in the fourth quarter cut Utah’s lead to 24-12. With two-thirds of the season in the books, the Utes have shown they are a clear contender for the Pac-12 title. Britain Covey has replaced Cory Butler-Byrd on the No. 1 kickoff return team (with Bubba Poole). Junior PK Andy Phillips, first-team All-Pac-12 in 2014, has made 12-of-13 field goal attempts in the last seven games and is 13-of-16 overall.
It’s also the first time the Beavers have returned all of their basketball starters in a decade, led by Gary Payton II, Malcolm Duvivier, and Langston Morris-Walker. Seth Collins has led the team in passing and rushing, but he is out for this game with an undisclosed injury.
-LB Jason Whittingham (No. 20 linebacker, 243rd overall) – The head coach’s nephew did not record a tackle against Oregon State.
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Wilson, bounced back from a dismal showing against USC two weeks ago and completed 14-of-17 passes against Oregon State. Iowa will need to run the table, and take out Ohio State or Michigan State in the Big 10 Title game to secure their spot.
