Thursday night’s Utah vs North Dakota game is the first game of the season for both teams and here’s what you should be watching for.
Kyle Whittingham’s Utah football team opens the 2017 season with a contest against one of the better teams in the FCS: North Dakota. Last year, the Utes hosted Southern Utah and put together a nice, comfortable 24-0 win in the season opener.
Entering the game, the Utes have a new face under center. No, senior captain Troy Williams didn’t leave the program, but he was beat out by sophomore Tyler Huntley this fall for the starting quarterback job. It’ll be interesting to see how he does in his first start for the Utes.
The Utes finished the 2016 season with a 9-4 record and will look to reach the 10-win mark in 2017. Armand Shyne will look to carry the load in the backfield with Joe Williams gone.
Not much is known about North Dakota at the FBS level because the Fighting Hawks are members of the FCS’ Big Sky Conference. They finished 9-3 overall last season and came in second place overall. They faced off against one FBS opponent, Bowling Green, and nearly came away with a victory.
They allowed about the same points per game and scored the same amount each week as Utah did last year, but the Fighting Hawks’ secondary was poor. It allowed over 260 yards per game through the air, which could help a first-year starter for the Utes.
Senior quarterback Keaton Studsrud returns after passing for over 2,000 yards and 14 touchdowns with just two interceptions. However, it was the run game that made defenses pay, recording over 200 yards per contest on the ground. John Santiago and Brady Oliveira lead the way.
Here’s how you can watch Thursday’s Utah vs North Dakota game:
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Date: Thursday, Aug. 31
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium
TV info: Pac-12 Network
Live stream: Pac-12 Live
Keys to victory
Utah needs to come out swinging and not even allow North Dakota to gain any traction. If the Utes plan on walking away with a comfortable victory, they will need to capitalize on the Fighting Hawks’ porous passing defense. Will Huntley be up to the task? Also, stopping North Dakota’s run game will be crucial as it will be relying heavily on that.
As for the Fighting Hawks, making Huntley uncomfortable early and often might be more important than anything else. If they can get pressure on the first-time starter, they could take control of the game and force turnovers.
Prediction
Although there always seems to be issues with FBS teams facing off against unfamiliar opponents at first, the Utes are going to run away with this one. Utah’s secondary was mediocre last season, ranking 101st in the country against the pass, but luckily North Dakota’s passing attack was average, at best.
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Moreover, Huntley is going to have a monster game against that unreliable North Dakota secondary and the Utes will pound the rock effectively on the ground as well. This one might be close for a quarter, but no more.
Final Score: North Dakota 13, Utah 38