San Jose State @ Utah preview
Rice-Eccles Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 17, 2016 ) Utah 34, San Jose State 17
Utah’s new starting quarterback, sophomore Tyler Huntley, has passed all tests so far in leading the Utes to a 2-0 start and a No. 24 national ranking. The next exam comes Saturday as Utah hosts San Jose State to close out its nonconference schedule.
The dual-threat Huntley has completed 73.5 percent of his passes, is the team’s leading rusher with 159 yards on 37 attempts and has accounted for four total touchdowns, including three scores on the ground, in wins over North Dakota and BYU. Huntley had 389 total yards and a rushing TD in the 19-13 victory over the Cougars, leading the Utes to their seventh straight win in the rivalry. “We probably leaned a little bit too heavily on Tyler last week running the football, but he is a very good runner as you can see,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said at his Monday news conference. “He also did an excellent job throwing the football with a 75-percent completion (rate), 300 yards and no picks. He’s (doing) a lot of good things.” San Jose State, meanwhile, will be trying to bounce back from Saturday’s 56-0 shutout loss at Texas, which gashed the Spartans for 623 total yards, including 406 and six TDs on the ground.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2. LINE: Utah -27
ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE (1-2): The Spartans entered the season with a first-year head coach in Brent Brennan and have played three quarterbacks so far with redshirt freshman Montel Aaron making his first start in the loss to Texas. Aaron has played in all three contests and leads all freshmen QBs nationally with four scoring passes and one interception. Junior linebacker Frank Ginda leads the team with 42 tackles, including four for losses, and the Spartans’ defense has been busy overall, playing an FBS-most 259 snaps in three games while surrendering 111 points and 1,404 total yards.
ABOUT UTAH (2-0): Oregon transfer Darren Carrington has been Huntley’s top target so far, catching 17 passes for 256 yards and a TD while Zack Moss is a close second to the quarterback with 149 yards and a score on 33 rushes. Safety Chase Hansen has team-most 14 tackles for the Utes, who have limited opponents to 29 total points and an average of 237.5 yards. Turnovers and penalties, however, have been too numerous for Whittingham’s liking as Utah has had three giveaways while being flagged 22 times for 232 yards.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Utah holds a 7-1 lead in the series between the former Western Athletic Conference rivals, including a 34-16 road win last season in San Jose.
2. Overall, the Utes are 23-1 in nonconference games since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, including a 17-0 mark over the last three seasons.
3. San Jose State is facing its second nationally ranked opponent in four weeks after opening the season with a 42-22 home loss to then-No. 21 South Florida.
PREDICTION: Utah 42, San Jose State 13