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Coming into the year, the Utah Utes were an afterthought when it came to the Pac-12 title race. Now, the Utes are 4-1 and ranked No. 20 in the nation with just one conference loss. If this team doesn’t bring fear to every team in the Pac-12, I don’t know what would. The Utes are a very dangerous underdog.
Like Utah, no one is talking about the Oregon State Beavers. With a 4-1 record and their lone loss coming on the road against the No. 18 USC Trojans, the Beavers have a team worth talking about and one that could become a factor in the conference title conversation by the time the season has concluded.
Utah has been able to put up a solid number of points this season, ranking 19th in the nation, despite having just the 82nd-ranked passing offense and 35th-ranked rushing attack. While Travis Wilson seems to be the leader of the offense, he has been beat up a bit as of late, yet has still recorded 788 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions on the season. Wilson may be replaced in this week’s matchup by dual-threat junior Kendal Thompson who has passed for 284 yards, two touchdowns and one interceptions while rushing for 144 yards and a touchdown — ranking third on the team in rush yards. Junior Devontae Booker leads all rushers with 513 yards and four touchdowns on 5.8 yards per touch while fellow junior Bubba Poole is second on the team with 145 yards and a score. Two wide outs stand out above the rest as Dres Anderson leads the team with 290 yards and four touchdowns on 15 catches; Kenneth Scott has a team-high 22 catches for 228 yards and three scores.
Oregon State had one of the best passing offenses in the nation a season ago behind the strong, underrated arm of Sean Mannion, but the senior quarterback has cooled off a bit in 2014. Mannion has passed for just 1,304 yards and five touchdowns with four picks through five games just one year after passing for nearly 4,700 yards and 37 touchdowns — he has a ways to go to reach that mark. Victor Bolden has been Mannion’s favorite target this season after losing the top target from a year ago, Brandin Cooks, to the NFL. Bolden has 24 catches for 230 yards and a touchdown while Connor Hamlett and Richard Mullaney both have 18 catches for a touchdown on 219 yards and 216 yards, respectively. Although the Beavers rank just 104th in the nation in rushing yards per game, two running backs have stood out with solid numbers. Terron Ward has 343 yards and six touchdowns while Storm Woods has 342 yards and three scores on 59 carries apiece.
Defensively, the Beavers haven’t had too much trouble this season. Oregon State is usually known for its offense, but the defense has been solid, ranking 28th in total yards allowed per game as well as 54th in points allowed per game. The Utes have been a bit better at keeping teams out of the endzone, ranking 38th in points allowed per contest and 54th in total yards allowed per game.
Utah will travel to Oregon State to take on the Beavers at 10 p.m. EST on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game will be broadcasted on FOX Sports 1.
PREDICTION: Utah 27, Oregon State 35
Want to see the Beavers take on the Utes in week eight? Check out ScoreBig for tickets.
Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].
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