Pullman, Wash. • What will the University of Utah do for an encore following its come-from-behind 43-42 win over USC on Oct. 15?
The 14th-ranked Utes are in the Pacific Northwest Thursday night to face Washington State, with a potential Pac-12 title defense still in the cards if things go accordingly through November.
Beyond Thursday, Utah, at least on paper, gets a bit of a reprieve in the form of home games against Arizona on Nov. 5 and Stanford on Nov. 12.
How to watch
Kickoff: 8 p.m. MT
TV: Fox Sports 1 | Jeff Levering, Petros Papadakis
Radio: ESPN 700 AM in Salt Lake City (Bill Riley, Scott Mitchell, Stevenson Sylvester)
Pregame storylines
• Utah has a bit of a scheduling quirk here, a Thursday night road game off a bye, but Kyle Whittingham viewed this as ‘ideal.’ The Utes did not get the full 14 days between games thanks to playing on Thursday, but playing win Thursday means they will have more time to rest and prepare for Arizona.
• Dalton Kincaid is coming off 16 catches for 234 yards and a touchdown on 16 targets vs. USC. Assuming the senior tight end is a focal point of the Cougars’ defensive game plan, that means Utah’s wide receivers will need to give more than they’ve collectively given through seven games.
• There are four legitimate contenders to reach the Pac-12 championship game, Utah among them. Are the Utes worried about what Oregon, UCLA, and USC are doing as the stretch run approaches? They split with the Los Angeles schools, but a Nov. 19 trip to Eugene may decide whether or not a title defense will happen in Las Vegas on Dec. 2.
• This week’s TribUte newsletter focuses on Washington State quarterback Cam Ward, the latest in a group of athletic, dual-threat quarterbacks Utah has faced this fall. The comparison given to Ward by Whittingham and multiple Utes? USC star QB Caleb Williams.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/HG9jkXZ
Post a Comment