Utah Football: 3 Bold Predictions for Alamo Bowl vs Texas

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 7: Head coach of the Utah Utes Kyle Whittingham talk to his players during the first half of an college football game against the Stanford Cardinal on October 7, 2017 at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

2. Sam Ehlinger scores three times and turns the ball over three times

It’s been a while since the nation has seen the Sam Ehlinger who dueled with Joe Burrow in Week 2. Ehligner scored five touchdowns that night, a season-best. Over his last five games, he’s managed nine touchdowns with six interceptions. His accuracy has waned and his playmakers haven’t done enough in key moments.

The Alamo Bowl could be where that begins to change, sort of. Utah’s top cover man Jaylon Johnson will sit out the game as he prepares for the NFL Draft. The Utes are also expected to be without safeties Julian Blackmon and RJ Hubert. Ehlinger should be able to move the ball against what is normally a stout Utah secondary.

But the passing production is likely to come with some drawbacks. Since that one marvelous night against LSU, Ehlinger has been brutal in losses this season. The Utah offense is going to score, more than likely forcing Texas to keep up. That’s going to result in some big plays. It’s also going to create opportunities for turnovers. Utah is +8 in turnovers this season, top 20 in the nation.

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