Last week’s bounce-back win over Arizona came at a heavy price for the No. 21 Utah Utes, who are now 5-1 on the season.
Their top running back, Armand Shyne, went down with a nasty leg injury and is out for the rest of the year. Through five games, he’s collected 373 yards rushing to go along with four TDs. And with him gone, Utah is expecting the pair of Zack Moss and Troy McCormick to carry the load on the ground moving forward. Both have run for two touchdowns each this season.
The Utes also need their quarterback in Troy Williams to start playing at a higher level. He converted just 13-of-29 passes for 245 yards and a score during the win over the Wildcats. It’s crucial for him to do so, as the loss of Shyne will likely force the team to gain some yards through the air.
Williams’ most reliable target has been Tim Patrick, but the senior wide receiver is still dealing with an ankle injury that prevented him from suiting up last week. Given that, we might see another productive outing for tight end Tyrone Smith, who hauled in three receptions for 81 yards in the game against Arizona.
Utah is 7-3 SU and 6-4 ATS in its last 10 road games overall.
The Oregon State Beavers also got back on the winning track last weekend, pulling off a thrilling overtime win over California, 47-44.
Quarterback Darrell Garretson had a lackluster performance, completing just 13-of-24 passes for 85 yards along with two picks. Well, he did compensate for this by rushing for 105 yards and two scores. But no one ran with the ball better than Ryan Nall, who led the Beavers with a career-high of 221 yards on 14 carries and three TDs.
Clearly, Oregon State’s offense is heavily predicated on its ground game, which is definitely something that Utah will try to shut down. The Utes currently have one of the best rushing defenses in the country today, so we might see more passes from the Beavers offense this weekend.
The receiving duo of Victor Bolden Jr. and Seth Collins are Garretson’s main options downfield. The latter leads the team with 24 catches for 268 yards, while the other has caught 19 for 172 yards with a touchdown.
The Beavers are 4-6 SU and 2-8 ATS in their previous 10 home games.
