It’s some Friday night college football action in Tuscan, when the (21) Utah Utes stroll into town to play the Arizona Wildcats in a PAC-12 match-up. The game is slated to start on Friday, September 22nd at 10:30 p.m. EST. For this contest, the Utes are a field goal favorite and the over/under rests at 60. The battle between division foes can be seen on the Fox Sports 1.
The Utah Utes enter this match-up off a 54-16 destruction of hapless San Jose State. The Utes did exactly what everybody else has done to the Spartans when they routed them on Saturday is Salt Lake. In that game, Utah forced five turnovers and caused a amazing seven fumbles.
The Wildcats crushed Utep by a score of 63-16. It was the Arizona running game that finally got going that led to the destruction of the Miners. Overall, the Wildcats back field ran the ball over 60 times for over 350 yards. Last year’s meeting between the two programs was played in Utah. The Utes won that game by a score of 36-23. This is the PAC-12 conference opener for both squads.
(21) Utah Utes (3-0)
The Utah Utes have not been known to possess a power-house offense over the years. Contradictory to that, they sure looked like it in their 54-16 win over San Jose State last week. Furthermore, they have also never been known as a prolific passing club but had 341 yards through the air in the win over the Spartans.
Quarterback Tyler Huntley had his best game since taking over under center in 2017. The greenhorn hit 30 of 43 passes for 341 yards with four touchdown tosses and just one pick. He also used his feet effectively, rushing for another 53 yards. Pretty darn good for a kid that threw just seven passes all of last year.
Once again, wide out Darren Carrington is proving to be Tyler Huntley’s favorite receiver. Against the Spartans, Carrington had nine catches for 153 yards and three trips to the end zone. In all, he has swallowed up 26 catches for 409 yards and four scores. Those numbers place him as one of the best receivers in the FBS.
The running game is usually the bread and butter for the Utah offense. Their numbers aren’t bad, rushing for nearly 190 yards per game (55th). Even though quarterback Tyler Huntley is their leading rusher with 212 yards, running back Zach Moss still pulls his weight. The tail back has 44 carries for just under 200 yards and two scores.
The defense is really what has led this team to their 3-0 start. since the season began, they have allowed just 15 points per game (25th). This unit has just five starters back, but it looks just as solid as last year’s group. In the win over the Spartans, they allowed just 263 yards of total offense, including just 30 yards on the ground. In fact, the Utes are number one in the nation against the run, yielding only 48 yards per game.
Arizona Wildcats (2-1)
The Arizona Wildcats were picked to finish last in the PAC-12 South by many and that may still happen. But until that time comes, they better not be taken too lightly by their conference opponents. A large part of their success has been a strong offensive output since opening day.
Brandon Dawkins did not have a good showing at all a year ago, but he is off to a nice start in 2017. Furthermore, he had an outstanding game in Arizona’s dismantling of the Miners. In that game, he hit 18 of 21 passes for 155 yards and three scores. He also rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries.
The second year starter will now look to have a better showing against the Utes than he did last year. In that contest, he hit just 11 of 20 passes for 243 yards, a TD and two INTs and ran for just 49 yards.
The Wildcats piled up 530 yards of total offense against UTEP, including 355 yards on the ground. Besides the impressive production from the quarterback, running back Nick Wilson and J.J. Taylor also ran the ball. Together, the duo recorded 25 rushes for just under 100 yards.
Wide receiver Terry Juniel led Arizona with four catches and 80 yards against the Miners. The Glendale Community College project has 9 catches for about 100 yards has yet to breach the goal line. People also need to consider that the Wildcats are a run firts squad so there isn’t a whole lot to talk about in the passing game.
The defense for Arizona was one of the worst in the FBS last year, especially against the pass. After three games this season, it looks like the back half hasn’t improved. So far this year, they are currently ranked 98th in the country giving up 267 yards per game. Against weaker opponents, Arizona has held them to just under 20 points per contest. Obviously, they will be getting a much better gauge of that defense as they face a hot Tyler Huntley in this one.
Prediction
Both schools really looked good last week, but both have played against weak teams. The Arizona Wildcats ran for a bundle of yards on the UTEP Miners, but the defense they face in this one will not be so easy to conquer.
The Utes led the league in run defense last year and they are lead by a defensive line that rates first in the PAC-12 and 7th in the country. The Arizona defense was one of the worst in the league last year, especially their pass defense. That could be a big problem as Mr. Carrington is one of the better wide outs in Division I ball.
Tyler Huntley is hot and should have a very good game against the Wildcats. I look for Utah to win this one by at least seven points. Also, the odds makers have this game’s over/under at 60. This could go either way in my opinion, but the Wildcats would have to score their fair share to get that done. The Utah defense is just to good to lay your money against that in this game. Take Utah -3 and watch their defense along with Huntley to Carrington be the deciding factor.
Trends
The Utes are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games in September.
The Utes are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games.
The Under is 4-0 in the Utes last 4 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points.
The Under is 5-1 in the Utes last 6 games overall.
The Wildcats are 7-15 ATS in their last 22 home games.
The Wildcats are 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games overall.
The Over is 8-3 in the Wildcats last 11 conference games.
The Over is 5-2 in the Wildcats last 7 games overall.
