Utah Football: Utes ready for Holiday Bowl matchup with Northwestern

The losing finalists from the Big Ten and Pac-12 championship games meet in San Diego instead of Pasadena. Will Utah football or Northwestern take the Holiday Bowl?

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The last time we saw Utah, they were unable to muster up much offense in a 10-3 heartbreaker against Washington in the Pac-12 championship game in Santa Clara on the last Friday in November. For Northwestern, our last memory was of their futile attempt to take down Ohio State at the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis a day later. Instead of a duel at the Rose Bowl, the Utes and Wildcats face one another at the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl.

Utah heads to San Diego with uncertainty at quarterback. Tyler Huntley suffered a broken collarbone that knocked him out for the final month of the season. The Utes still won the Pac-12 South, but they have faded after ranking 47th in scoring at 31.6 points per game and 46th in total offense with 431.4 yards per game. Under Huntley’s replacement Jason Shelley, those numbers have dropped by nearly a field goal and more than 35 yards per game entering the Holiday Bowl.

Northwestern emerged from a muddled Big Ten West this season to claim the division that has usually been the domain of Wisconsin. The Wildcats actually opened the year 1-3, including a conference defeat against Michigan, but they rebounded to win seven of their last eight to reach the Big Ten title game. There they threatened to mount a comeback in the third quarter but ultimately faded to lose 45-24 to Ohio State.

Still, despite losing their respective conference championships the Utes and Wildcats still have plenty to play for in San Diego. In their first meeting since 1981, will it be Kyle Whittingham’s squad or Pat Fitzgerald‘s crew that come out on top? Here’s how you can watch the Holiday Bowl between Northwestern and Utah:

Date: Monday, Dec. 31
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: San Diego, Calif.
Venue: SDCCU Stadium
TV: FS1
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

First and foremost, Utah needs whoever starts at quarterback to break down a Northwestern secondary that ranks outside the top 100 in yards allowed and sits 79th in opponent passing efficiency. The Utes will also need to do a better job of protection on kicks and punts after ending the regular season as one of the most-blocked teams in the country. Better special teams performance could make the difference in San Diego.

Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson has to do a better job of protecting the football than he did most of the season. Thorson threw 14 of Northwestern’s 15 interceptions in the regular season, which ranked 112th in the FBS. Against a Utah team that fields a top-25 secondary at snatching picks, Thorson needs to be especially vigilant at holding on to the ball. The Wildcats also need to hold either Huntley or Shelley in check and force Utah to keep the ball on the ground.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Utah -7
Over/Under: 46

Prediction

Whether Huntley or Shelley plays, they will face a Northwestern defense that struggled to get pressure on quarterbacks and that struggled to prevent gains through the air. What will be more important, though, is Utah’s defense. The nation’s top-ranked red zone defense will hold Northwestern to field goals when they need to punch in touchdowns, and that will prove the difference at SDCCU Stadium.

Final Score: Utah 28, Northwestern 16