Weather: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the high 80s at kickoff.
The trends
For Utah: Utah started its season with a 49-0 win over FCS opponent Southern Utah in Cam Rising and Brant Kuithe’s return to the field. Rising threw for 254 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in just one half, running back Dijon Stanley had 150 receiving yards and Kuithe had three touchdowns.
For Baylor: The Bears, who ended the 2023 season with five straight losses, began the year on the right foot with a 45-3 win over FCS foe Tarleton State in the debut of transfer quarterback Dequan Finn.
What to watch for
Utah’s starting cornerback opposite Zemaiah Vaughn, Georgia Tech senior transfer Kenan Johnson , suffered a season-ending injury in last week’s contest against Southern Utah.
Who will the Utes use to replace him against Dequan Finn and the Bears’ passing attack?
Look for sophomore Smith Snowden, who started the season at nickel back, to be on the field on virtually every snap. He’ll play some nickel, but also will frequently move to the outside. Other options at outside cornerback include sophomore Elijah Davis, who filled in for Johnson during the rest of the SUU game and had an interception, and Michigan transfer redshirt freshman Cameron Calhoun, who rejoined the team this week after offseason surgery.
Who fills in at cornerback — and how they do — is something to keep an eye on during Saturday’s contest.
Key player
Rod Aydelotte
Dequan Finn, Baylor QB : Dual-threat QB Finn was brought in to revive Baylor’s offense, which ranked near the bottom of FBS last season. The transfer from Toledo, where he was the MAC Player of the Year, threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns on 64% accuracy, plus added a 39-yard touchdown run, but also threw two interceptions.
Finn gives the Bears a much different look than the last time the two teams faced each other last year, when Blake Shapen was Baylor’s quarterback and struggled.
Finn made some mistakes in Week 1; can the Utes force Finn into a few turnovers on Saturday, and contain his dual-threat ability?
“Hit ‘em, hard, when they run the ball,” Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley joked when asked what the Utes need to do to defend a running quarterback. “You got to have eyes on them. So if you’re going to add a guy in the box, you add a guy in the box, or you create pressure to fool the QB, there’s different things that you can do. Bottom line, it’s playing assignment-sound, disciplined football.”
Quotable
“Much bigger challenge this week. We understand that. Baylor’s a good football team. They got good personnel, they’re well coached, extremely well coached ... We got to prepare the right way all week long just like we do every single week and be ready for a fight. That’s what it’s going to be.” — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.
“A lot of respect for this team, this head coach. Their offensive coordinator I consider a good friend and one of the best at what he does. And so a lot of challenges ahead, but excited to take them on.” — Baylor coach Dave Aranda.
Next up
Utah: at Utah State; Baylor: vs. Air Force
Utah schedule
Aug. 29: Utah 49, Southern Utah 0
Sept. 7: Baylor (1:30 p.m., Fox)
Sept. 14: at Utah State (2:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
Comments / 0