A couple of teams that like running the football, Coach Kyle Whittingham and the Utah Utes (-4) are gearing up to take the field against the Oregon Ducks at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Pac-12 Networks is scheduled to have the TV rights and this pivotal conference game gets going at 5:30 p.m. ET. When these two programs faced one another last year, Oregon knocked off Utah by three touchdowns 41-20.
Oregon Ducks at Utah Utes Betting Preview
In this Saturday Pac-12 game, Utah has been labeled as the favorite and is currently giving up 4 points. The Ducks are also receiving +155 moneyline odds while the Utes are -175. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 56.5 points, and should one squad catches a lucky break in the early stages, it will likely generate a worthy in-game betting scenario.
Odds have shifted slightly from where they were initially posted. The line opened at -3 and the game’s O/U was set originally at 57.
The Ducks are 4-5 against the spread (ATS) and are down 1.9 units so far. The team has posted an O/U record of 4-5. The Utes are up 0.2 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 5-4 ATS and have an even O/U record of 4-4.
The Ducks are 6-3 straight up (SU), including 3-3 SU against conference opponents. The Utes are 6-3 SU overall and 4-3 SU in conference play.
The Ducks are coming off a resounding 42-21 win over UCLA last week. Justin Herbert completed only 18-of-32 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. CJ Verdell (90 yards on 25 rush attempts, one TD) led the ground attack while Dillon Mitchell (eight receptions, 156 yards, two TDs) and Verdell (four catches, 38 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Utah just fell 38-20 to Arizona State. The team’s defense allowed the Sun Devils to eat up the clock by rushing for 251 yards on 50 attempts, including two rush TDs. Eno Benjamin was on a different level for Arizona State, putting up 175 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 27 attempts. As a group, the Utes collectively completed 11-of-26 passes for 147 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Tyler Huntley went seven-for-15 for 88 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while Jason Shelley was four-of-11 for 59 yards and one interception. Zack Moss (128 rushing yards on 18 attempts, one TD) spearheaded the running attack while Samson Nacua (four receptions, 68 yards, one TD) and Britain Covey (two catches, 24 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Oregon has run the ball on 54.8 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 51.9 percent across possessions in conference play. Utah has an overall run percentage of 59.6 percent, and has rushed the ball 62.4 percent of the time when playing Pac-12 opponents. The Ducks have produced 178 rush yards per game (including 160 per game against Pac-12 opponents) and have 20 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Utes are totaling 202 rushing yards per game (212 in conference) and have 17 total rush TDs.
If the results so far this season are any indication, then it’s looking like the Utes could hold an edge in all aspects of the ground game. Their backfield has generated 4.8 yards per carry while the defense has allowed a YPC of 3.1 to opponents. The Ducks have recorded 4.4 yards per carry while allowing 3.8 YPC to opponents.
The Ducks offensive scheme has logged 265 yards per contest in the air overall (254 per game against conference opposition) and has 22 passing scores so far. The Utes have produced 218 pass yards per game (193.3 against Pac-12 competition) and have 14 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Oregon has allowed 143 rush yards and 249 pass yards per game. The Utah D has allowed 214.7 yards per game to opposing passers and 100.0 yards per game on the ground. The Utes are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.69 to opposing QBs, while the Ducks have allowed a 5.87 ANY/A.
Offensively, Herbert is up to 2,147 passing yards this year. He’s completed 61 percent of his 244 attempts with 20 scores through the air and only five interceptions. Herbert has an 8.84 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 5.88 over the past two outings.
We expect the Oregon offense to mix it up in this one. Dillon Mitchell (764 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns this season), CJ Verdell (676 rush yards, five rush TDs, 175 receiving yards) and Jacob Breeland (267 receiving yards, two TDs) have each played key roles recently.
For the home team, Tyler Huntley has connected on 137-of-213 passes for 1,650 yards, 12 TDs and five INTs. Huntley’s ANY/A sits at 6.56 for the year and 2.46 over his last two outings.
As a trio, Zack Moss, Britain Covey and Samson Nacua have combined for 531 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns over the last couple of games.
Betting Prediction: Oregon Ducks vs. Utah Utes
SU Winner – Utah, ATS Winner – Utah, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Over/Under for Oregon’s previous game was 59. The over cashed in the team’s 42-21 win over UCLA.
Oregon has rushed for 3.8 yards per attempt over its past three contests and 4.4 over its last two.
Utah has averaged 5.3 yards per carry over its last three games and 6.1 over its last two.
Utah has lost nine fumbles this season while Oregon has lost seven.
Over its last three matchups, Oregon is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Utah’s last matchup going into it was 55. The over cashed in the 38-20 defeat to Arizona State.
Over its last three matches, Utah is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Utes have made 11 pass plays of 30+ yards while the Ducks have produced 16 such plays.
The Oregon defense has allowed nine pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Utah has given up six such plays.
The Oregon offense has created 11 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Utah has created 17 such runs.
The Ducks defense has allowed 12 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Utes have given up six such runs.
The Utah defense has produced 21 sacks on the year while Oregon has 19.
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