The Utah Utes preserved their unbeaten record this season with an impressive 21-point victory over Fresno State on Saturday. They will look to keep the momentum going this coming Saturday when they take on the Oregon Ducks in a blockbuster matchup at Autzen Stadium.
Who will emerge victorious in this Pac-12 clash? Read on below for a preview of this college football showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Mississippi State vs. Auburn and Texas A&M vs. Arkansas.
The Utah Utes stretched their unbeaten run to three games with a 45-24 victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs on Saturday night. Running back Devontae Booker was the star of the show for the Utes, rushing for 156 yards on 31 carries with two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 55 yards as he definitely upped the ante after totaling 62 touches in Utah’s first two games. Booker has been lights out for the Utes early on this season, rushing for 345 yards and scoring four touchdowns in his opening three games. Booker has now rushed for a touchdown in his last five games for Utah, the first time that has happened in his career.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Apart from Booker, quarterback Kendal Thompson also impressed in his first start for the Utes. Starting in place of quarterback Travis Wilson who was sidelined with a sprained shoulder, Thompson definitely delivered, throwing for 159 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 31 more. Thanks to the Booker and Thompson’s heroics, the Utes have now won nine consecutive nonconference games.
Things are bound to get tougher for the unbeaten Utes, though, as standing in their way in the next game are Pac-12 powerhouse Oregon Ducks. The Utes are winless in their last three meetings with the Ducks. They have lost by an average of 18 points in those three games. For the Utes to reverse the trend this coming Saturday, they need to find a way to stop Oregon’s high-powered offense. The Ducks are averaging a whopping 50 points per game this season.
The Utes will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have been superb on the defensive end this season. They are allowing an average of just 18.3 points per game this season.
The Utes are 7-1 SU/ATS in their last eight road games.
The Oregon Ducks returned to winning ways Saturday with an emphatic 61-28 victory over the Georgia State Panthers at Autzen Stadium. It was a huge bounce-back win for the Ducks who suffered a gut-wrenching 31-28 defeat to Michigan State last weekend. With the victory, the Ducks improved their record this season to 2-1.
Much of the credit should be given to Jeff Lockie who stepped up big time in the absence of quarterback Vernon Adams, Jr. who was out with a broken index finger on his throwing hand. Lockie impressed in his first start for the Ducks, throwing for 228 yards and two touchdowns against the Panthers. He completed 23 of 31 passes without an interception. Such was the Ducks’ dominance in this game that they collected a whopping 539 total yards against Georgia State. Royce Freeman also made his presence felt on the ground against the Panthers, rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
For the Ducks to record back-to-back wins this coming Saturday against Utah, they need to do a much better job on the defensive end. Oregon’s secondary had trouble slowing down Georgia State’s offense, particularly Penny Hart who caught four passes for 90 yards in the first quarter. The Ducks gave up 318 passing yards to the Panthers on Saturday.
That being said, the Ducks will fancy their chances against the Utes as they have fared extremely well against them of late. They are 5-1 against Utah in their head-to-head matchup. The Ducks thrashed the Eagles, 51-27, in their only meeting last year.
The Ducks are 8-2 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 home games.
