Utah is solid on defense and offense. They are not spectacular. Their 6-0 record is earned but they flirted a few times with a loss. They are 4-0 at home (Michigan 24-17, Utah St 24-14, Cal 30-24, and ASU 34-18). Away they beat Fresno St 45-24 and Oregon 62-20. In the Cal game they picked off 5 passes and a fumble for 17 points after TO's. That also blunted two Cal scoring drives at their own 33 and 5 yard lines. and gave up 10 points on their own two TO's. ASU lead 18-14 in the 4th quarter then broke down as they did vs. USC. The sole common opponent is ASU which USC beat 42-14 at Tempe and Utah beat them by that 34-18 score.
I am impressed with the steadiness of Utah. They have a senior RB in Devonte Booker. who is terrific. He averages 130 yard per game and 4.9 Yards per run. He is the #1 RB and also the #1 Receiver (by a little)- 23 passes received for 34.7 yards per game and 9 yards a catch. The other key player is their senior QB Wilson who averaged 68% completion for 196 YPG with 7TDs and 3 Int. And he is also their #2 runner with 40 yards per game on a 4.5 ypr and 3 TDs. ASU mostly stopped Booker with a stacked front seven until he got away at the end of the game with a 65 yard run to pad his stats. ASU also hung 5 sacks on Wilson.
Comparing them : USC has a better balanced attack (198 runs and 211 passes) versus Utah's run dominant game (253 run- 175 pass). USC has a plus 3 in TO margin and Utah has the top Turnover Margin in the P12 at a plus 12 (13 interceptions). This is an important stat in close games. Utah leads in third down conversion, Rushing offense, Time of possession, fewer penalties, Net punting, and run defense. USC leads in 1st downs, Kickoff yardage and kickoff defense, nearly all passing -Passing yards per attempt, Passing O ( by about 3 yards per pass), and red zone defense. In other areas they are similar. In punting Utah's Australian kicker Hackett leads the league but does have a lower trajectory that could make for runbacks. Utah is strong against the run but near the bottom of the PAC12 against the pass. On offense they are a good running team but on Passing much less so.
Intangibles: USC lost late last year and this could make it a revenge game. And this is one that the "win one for Helton" plays big. Utah mastered Oregon on the road but is not tested much other than that this year.
Bottom Line: USC has played down against decent teams. Utah is likely overrated at top 5, but surely atop 15 team this year. and IMO are not as good as Stanford or ND. But certainly has won the close games . The Vegas odds have stayed at 3 1/2 despite the disparity in wins. My forecast is a homer one, another tight game but leans to USC with their backs against the wall. Expect some long USC plays, hanging one on Utah...USC 35 Utah 28.
I am impressed with the steadiness of Utah. They have a senior RB in Devonte Booker. who is terrific. He averages 130 yard per game and 4.9 Yards per run. He is the #1 RB and also the #1 Receiver (by a little)- 23 passes received for 34.7 yards per game and 9 yards a catch. The other key player is their senior QB Wilson who averaged 68% completion for 196 YPG with 7TDs and 3 Int. And he is also their #2 runner with 40 yards per game on a 4.5 ypr and 3 TDs. ASU mostly stopped Booker with a stacked front seven until he got away at the end of the game with a 65 yard run to pad his stats. ASU also hung 5 sacks on Wilson.
Comparing them : USC has a better balanced attack (198 runs and 211 passes) versus Utah's run dominant game (253 run- 175 pass). USC has a plus 3 in TO margin and Utah has the top Turnover Margin in the P12 at a plus 12 (13 interceptions). This is an important stat in close games. Utah leads in third down conversion, Rushing offense, Time of possession, fewer penalties, Net punting, and run defense. USC leads in 1st downs, Kickoff yardage and kickoff defense, nearly all passing -Passing yards per attempt, Passing O ( by about 3 yards per pass), and red zone defense. In other areas they are similar. In punting Utah's Australian kicker Hackett leads the league but does have a lower trajectory that could make for runbacks. Utah is strong against the run but near the bottom of the PAC12 against the pass. On offense they are a good running team but on Passing much less so.
Intangibles: USC lost late last year and this could make it a revenge game. And this is one that the "win one for Helton" plays big. Utah mastered Oregon on the road but is not tested much other than that this year.
Bottom Line: USC has played down against decent teams. Utah is likely overrated at top 5, but surely atop 15 team this year. and IMO are not as good as Stanford or ND. But certainly has won the close games . The Vegas odds have stayed at 3 1/2 despite the disparity in wins. My forecast is a homer one, another tight game but leans to USC with their backs against the wall. Expect some long USC plays, hanging one on Utah...USC 35 Utah 28.
