Oregon football heads to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Utes who are coming off a huge loss in more ways than just one. Can the Ducks capitalize?
The Oregon Ducks welcomed home their former coach Chip Kelly last week in the only way they knew how and that’s beating him down 42-21. The running game really shined with three rushing touchdowns and Justin Herbert continued to do Justin Herbert things with two passing touchdowns.
Defensively, it wasn’t the best day for the Ducks. Bruins running back Joshua Kelley managed to build on his remarkable season with 161 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown. Had it not been for a good pass defense then the Ducks may have given the game away.
The Ducks enter this game with a 6-3 record and are tied with the Stanford Cardinal for third place in the Pac-12 North. It’s a long shot for the Ducks to win the Pac-12 North and make it to Santa Clara, Calif., to face off against the winner from the Pac-12 South but a win over the Utah Utes at home would at least keep them in contention.
The Utah Utes took two huge losses last week against Arizona State. First of all, Utah gave up 536 yards of offense and 38 points to the Arizona Sun Devils and have put themselves in an interesting position going into the final weeks of the season. Utah still remains in the lead when it comes to the Pac-12 South race but the second loss they took this weekend might put an end to their hopes.
Tyler Huntley took off on a rush and collided with Arizona State defensive back Demonte King and broke his collarbone. Huntley was replaced by freshman quarterback Jason Shelley who went 4-for-11 with 59 yards and an interception.
To make matters worse, Zack Moss was injured at practice yesterday and could very well miss the remainder of the 2018 season. Moss and Huntley accounted for almost 84 percent of Utah’s total offensive output and, with both missing, it will be interesting to see how they handle their final games of the season.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 10
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium
TV: Pac-12 Network
Live Stream: Pac-12 Network or FuboTV
Keys to Victory
Utah has to redefine their offense this game. No more Tyler Huntley and no Zack Moss could spell disaster for Utah, even if they haven’t had the greatest of seasons. The defense has played fine for most of the season and they will give Oregon something to deal with all game long. Defense can only get you so far before the offense has to do something. Maybe Armand Shyne can get going against Oregon’s subpar run defense of maybe Jason Shelley can come in a little less shell-shocked at home with a week of preparation.
Oregon has the make Troy Taylor’s job as difficult as possible this week. Utah has more questions on offense this week than answers and Jim Leavitt must make the Utah offense leave that way. The Utes still have a lot to offer on defense and Justin Herbert has to score at least 20 points if they want to win. Salt Lake City is a tough spot, but they made it out alive last time they were there. Score points and keep the Utes offense wanting.
Betting Odds
Courtesy of OddsShark
Points Spread: Utah -4.5
Over/Under: 57.5
Prediction
If you’re a betting man, you need to take Oregon outright. The Ducks haven’t looked the greatest all season long, but it’s hard for a team to recuperate after losing so much of their offensive production in a weeks span. Oregon wins this one but it won’t be in a convincing fashion.
Final Score Oregon 24, Utah 10