Utah Football: 3 bold predictions for Friday night clash at Oregon State

2. DJ Uiagalelei struggles against a tough Utah defense

Transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is coming off his worst game as a Beaver, posting a 102.7 passer rating, far below his average of 142.8 for the season. He completed just 50 percent of his passes for 198 yards against Washington State last week. Couple that with the fact that he’s thrown three interceptions in his past two games and you have to wonder if this is the start of a trend for Uiagalelei or if he’s due for a bounce-back performance.

Utah will be Uiagalelei’s toughest defense he’s faced since leaving Clemson to become the new signal caller for the Beavers. He may have some flashbacks to last season when he faced ranked opponents on the regular as a member of the ACC. Uiagalelei was fairly uneven in big games for the Tigers, likely part of the reason for him leaving the program for a fresh opportunity in Corvallis, Ore.

The last time Uiagalelei took on a ranked opponent in the regular season, he went 13-for-21 for 138 yards with zero touchdown passes and two picks against then-ranked No. 14 Syracuse. Even more, against an SEC defense, the Inland Empire, Calif., native went 8-for-29 for 99 yards with a touchdown and a pick in his final regular season game as a Clemson Tiger.

Uiagalelei is going to have to rely on his mobility if the weather forecasts are correct in anticipating rainfall Friday evening. Expect Utah’s Elliss to be chasing the gifted quarterback, who’s already totaled five rushing touchdowns entering Week 5 — nearly the entire total he registered in his final season at Clemson.