Utah's Defense Should Keep Them Undefeated

Utah vs. Oregon State, 8:00 ET

You don't get too many games on Thursday and Friday, but tonight we are treated with what could be a very good one. For most football fans, Friday night is associated with the High School level, then Saturday is College, and then the NFL is king on Sunday. But, tonight, we turn our attention to the college ranks as Utah takes on Oregon State in a top-25 clash.

We had a play on Utah early in the season, in fact, it was the first game of the season and it was against Florida. They handled that game well and have handled every other game with ease to this point. In fact their defense has been so stout, they've allowed a total of 38 points on the season to opponents over four games. I'm not a math major, but that is good for less than 10 points per game. You'll win a lot if you have that kind of success limiting opponents. Offensively, they have some areas that I'm a bit concerned about. The passing game hasn't really moved forward without Cameron Rising on the field and eventually, they'll need it to happen. So far, the team has relied on running the ball, but I think Oregon State's defense is good enough to handle the attack. At a certain point, defenses are going to just dare Utah to throw on them, it might be this game.

CORVALLIS, OR - APRIL 22: Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei #5 of the Oregon State Beavers fist bumps a member of the Oregon State football staff at the end of the Oregon State Spring Football Game at Reser Stadium on April 22, 2023 in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

Oregon State is another team we've had a play on this season already. They've looked pretty good overall. They ended up losing last week on the road to Washington State, but it was a close game. The previous three games they handled with not much trouble at all. Their defense has been a bit more stingy than I expected, even with them allowing 38 points to Washington State last week. San Diego State and San Jose State both have capable offenses and they allowed a total of 26 points in those two games. For them to win this one, I think the offense will have to be creative. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei needs to be smart with the football as well. He's already thrown three interceptions to just seven touchdowns on the season. Utah might not be quite as effective on the road so Oregon State might be able to control the ball a bit better here, but Uiagalelei does give me pause.

I really wouldn't be surprised to see Utah win this game outright. I do have a bit of reservation because they are on the road, and they don't have the quarterback edge here. I do think their defense is better than Oregon State and I'm fairly confident that they can stop Uiagalelei or force him into mistakes. I'm going to grab the points here with Utah at +3.5.

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