Utah Football: Utes ready for upset minded UCLA Bruins

Despite a 2-5 record overall, UCLA is only a half-game out of the Pac-12 South lead. Can they overtake Utah football on Friday night #Pac12AfterDark action?

It was a rough start to Chip Kelly’s time in Los Angeles. The former Oregon Ducks, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers head coach arrived at UCLA looking to rebuild his reputation as a coaching savant and offensive wizard. Instead, the Bruins lost five straight to start the year. What we learned, though, is that Cincinnati, Oklahoma, and Fresno State were a tough trio of non-conference games. Colorado is always a tough out in Boulder, and Washington is flat-out good.

In the past two games, Kelly finally got to remember what winning felt like at the college level. UCLA dominated Cal at home, then survived a comeback bid by Arizona in a 31-30 win in Week 8. In the win against the Wildcats, the Bruins lost starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the first half and turned to Wilton Speight to do just enough to hang on. Speight is likely going to begin the game against Utah this week.

While UCLA suddenly finds itself in the thick of a messy Pac-12 South race, Utah sits in a tie atop the division alongside a USC team against which the Utes already hold the head-to-head advantage. Kyle Whittingham’s team is the only squad in the South that has never played in the Pac-12 championship game since the conference’s expansion in 2011.

Utah has moved to 5-2 this year thanks to the nation’s best rushing defense and second-best red zone defense. Teams only score on 55 percent of their trips inside the Utah 20, and manage just 75 yards per game on the ground. When they have the ball, the Utes have been unspectacular but efficient, with Tyler Huntley leading the way at quarterback.

Which team will emerge at the head of the Pac-12 South race on Friday night before the rest of the division even takes to the field? Here’s how you can watch the Friday night #Pac12AfterDark showdown at the Rose Bowl between Utah and UCLA:

Date: Friday, Oct. 26
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Pasadena, Calif.
Venue: Rose Bowl
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Key to UCLA’s resurgence in the middle part of the regular season has been the emergence of Joshua Kelley as the primary rushing threat. Kelley has posted four straight 100-yard games, all against conference opponents, though Utah presents the toughest defensive front yet. The junior back needs to have another big game if UCLA is going to threaten an upset on their home turf.

Utah, more than anything, needs to hold on to the football. The Utes rank 120th in the country in fumbles lost, coughing up the ball nine times so far this season. Eventually, the propensity for fumbling away the ball is going to cost the Utes in a trap game, and carelessness could make this the week it finally happens if Whittingham’s crew isn’t careful.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Utah -10.5
Over/Under: 54.5

Prediction

Tyler Huntley is going to have another breakout day after his four-touchdown performance against the Trojans last week. Zack Moss will move up the national rushing charts with a huge day against the nation’s 101st-ranked rushing defense. And the Bruins will backslide as they encounter a superior opponent with Speight guiding the way instead of Thompson-Robinson.

Final Score: Utah 41, UCLA 24