Utah Football: Can Utes keep 10-win season hopes alive vs. BYU?

Utah football faces rival BYU in the Holy War to cap the 2018 regular season. Will the Utes remain alive for a shot at a 10-win season after the game?

Utah, despite their storied history, has never played in the Rose Bowl. After moving from the Mountain West into the expanded Pac-12 in 2011, the Utes have been the only Pac-12 South team that has yet to reach the conference championship game. Even so, Kyle Whittingham’s team has been a consistent bowl participant at the Power Five level and has a chance to reach 10 wins for the second time in five years.

BYU likewise left the Mountain West in 2011, but instead of getting a shot to join a major conference the Cougars opted to go it alone as an independent. Hoping to set themselves up as the Mormon equivalent of Notre Dame and the independent parochial powerhouse of the 21st-century, BYU bet on themselves. It hasn’t paid off so far, but it was always going to be a long game for the Cougars.

A Utah victory puts the Utes through to the Pac-12 championship game. They will live or die based on how well Jason Shelley keeps developing as the replacement at quarterback for the injured Tyler Huntley. BYU will look to ruin their rival’s chances of their first conference title since earning the 2008 Mountain West title a decade earlier.

Can the Cougars win their first Holy War since 2009? Here’s how you can watch the Beehive State battle between Utah and BYU on Saturday:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 24
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium
TV: FS1
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

If Utah has had one major flaw this season, it is the fact that they have allowed opponents to block five kicks and three punts this year. They are among the worst half-dozen teams in the FBS in both categories, which has cost the Utes points and field position all season long. Improving on their season averages in both kick and punt returns will also be critical for a team whose return games rank in the bottom half nationally.

BYU needs to get more pressure at the line of scrimmage. Getting hits on Jason Shelley will be critical to disrupt the youngster at quarterback, and they need to slow down the running game as well with tackles behind the line. Getting a big day from freshman quarterback Zach Wilson, playing his first Holy War against the team he grew up supporting, will be critical in Salt Lake City.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Utah -11.5
Over/Under: 44

Prediction

Lopini Katoa and the rest of the BYU backfield is going to struggle to advance the ball on the ground, as Utah’s fifth-ranked rushing defense clamps down and prevents the Cougars from moving the ball. Jason Shelley will put together a three-touchdown day throwing the ball, while Zack Moss posts a 150-yard game in his final regular-season game as a Ute. Kyle Whittingham’s team will be headed to Santa Clara for their first-ever trip to the Pac-12 championship game.

Final Score: Utah 38, BYU 7