Will Utah produce a blowout in this one or will they stumble again? The atmosphere in the locker room centers around revenge, not on Oregon State particularly, but on proving themselves after a loss. He posted a career-high 17 tackles, 5.5 for loss and a sack against USC and 11 tackles and 1 for loss against Arizona State. “But we knew we set a few things in motion that people were going to be maybe a little more ready for us going into this year, and then you add to it that we had a pretty good recruiting class”, Tinkle said at the conference’s annual media day. The Beavers’ rash of injuries includes the left side of the offensive line, where starting tackle Sean Harlow is out for the season with an ankle injury while starting guard Fred Lauina is not expected to play against the Utes. The 13th-ranked Utes are quite familiar with the guys plotting against them from the Oregon State sideline.
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The Utes also know Oregon State defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake very well. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Senior defensive tackle Kyle Peko has the thankless role of occupying double teams at the heart of the attack to free up linebackers Rommel Mageo (55 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries) and Caleb Saulo (46 tackles, one interception and a touchdown), while sophomore free safety Justin Strong cleans up in the back end (47 tackles). Utah knows what’s at stake, and it’s not about to let USC defeat it twice. “We know what they know, and we know what they know”. “It’s going to be a challenge”.
Two Pac-12 schools face off against one another on Saturday when the Utah Utes host the Oregon State Beavers. Whittingham announced this week that Utah wideout Tim Patrick will likely seek a medical redshirt. The senior leader has been on a tear the last two weeks. Oregon State is no slouch against the pass, ranking third in the Pac-12 at just 205 yards per game. “If they’re not the most physical team, they’re right there with the best in the league”. So, yeah. He probably will, barring the unexpected or preservation tactics.
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“The focus is going to be on the players”, he told reporters earlier this week. Utah’s ability to rebound will be tested for the first time – by the Pac-12’s last-place team, sure, but not a team that’s totally devoid of talent.
