We've got a good one on the gridiron in the Pac-12 on Saturday night as the 6th ranked Oregon Ducks host the 13th ranked Utah Utes. Both of these teams come into this game with identical records of 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the Pac-12, tied in the loss column for first place with 7-1 USC. Utah beat Oregon twice last year, but scores of 38-7 and 38-10, easily covering in both. The Ducks are favored by 3 points in this one. It doesn't get much better than this.
The Utah Utes have not lost a game since they fell at UCLA 42-32 back on Oct. 6. They followed that up with four straight wins, including a 43-42 win over USC, handing USC their only loss thus far in the Pac-12. The Utes last three wins have been far easier, as they have beaten Washington State 21-17, Arizona 45-20, and Stanford 42-7 last week. The Utes are now 8-2 on the season and 6-1 in the Pac-12, one half game behind 7-1 USC. The win over Stanford last Saturday was a beatdown as the Utes racked up a 514 to 177 edge in total yards and a 29-9 edge in first downs.
Tavion Thomas ran all over Stanford.@thiagoothomas9 had a career-high 180 yards rushing and had two scores! ??????#GoUtes | @Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/NQQ78TsU7M
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) November 14, 2022
Utah ran wild with 279 rushing yards, led by Tavion Thomas, who gained 180 yards on the ground with 2 touchdowns. Quarterback Cameron Rising was not too shabby either as he went 20 for 33 for 219 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Devaughn Vele caught 6 passes for 61 yards and a touchdown while Micah Bernard caught 3 passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. Logan Kendall and Thomas Yassmin also caught touchdown passes. Utah averages 39.3 points per game, which ranks 12th in the nation. Defensively, they give up 20 points per game, which ranks 21st in the country.