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Utah vs Utah State Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines
By Pete Fiutak,
5 hours ago
It’s not exactly a rivalry game - Utah is 26-4 in the all-time series - but of course there are fired up feelings for this, and it’s even more ramped up this time around.
Utah State wasn’t included in what appears to be the first wave of Pac-12 expansion - being left out while Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State got the call.
On the field, the reloading program is coming off a rough 48-0 loss to Utah, but with Temple up next before going to Boise State - four road games in the next six - it needs a big performance.
Utah starts up the official Big 12 campaign next week at Oklahoma State, followed up by a showdown against Arizona. It beat Baylor in what was technically a non-conference game, but the team needs to be far sharper. That’s what this is for.
Sep 7, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes running back Micah Bernard (2) leads the team in the fight song after the game against the Baylor Bears at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
He hasn’t had any luck, missing all of last year with a knee problem, and now he’s almost certainly sitting out with a hand injury - Utah has bigger fish to fry ahead in Big 12 play.
Utah State has to hang around. The offense has to rise back up after not being able to do anything against USC, but that’s a problem against this Utah D. Shorten the game, control the clock, and hope the Utes aren’t that sharp, but …
Why Utah Will Win
Utah’s offense should be okay with Isaac Wilson under center - if he gets the call.
The brother of former BYU star Zach Wilson can move a bit, but the offense will rely on Micah Bernard and the good group of running backs to take over early on.
No, the offense won’t be as good without Rising under center, but Utah State won’t be able to take advantage of it by controlling much of anything - the Aggies have been awful on third downs on both sides of the ball, and they’re not winning the time of possession battle.
Utah vs Utah State: Who Will Win
Utah won’t do anything crazy here.
Run the ball close to 40 times, don’t take any chances, rely on the defense to hold up against a Utah State attack that will do a little better than it did against USC, but will struggle and stall too often early on.
Expect Utah to have the ball for at least 35 minutes.
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