Stanford @ Utah preview
Rice-Eccles Stadium
Last Meeting ( Nov 15, 2014 ) Utah 20, Stanford 17
Utah is the unbeaten ranked team (18th in the coaches poll) playing in its homecoming game, but it’s visiting Stanford who is favored by nearly a touchdown in Saturday night’s Pac-12 matchup. Some of that is the respect national rushing leader Bryce Love quickly has earned, but much has to do with the Utes’ uncertainty at quarterback.
Sophomore starter Tyler Huntley went down with a shoulder injury in the second quarter of Utah’s last game – a 30-24 win at Arizona on Sept. 22 – and was replaced by senior Troy Williams, who started all 13 of the team’s games a season ago. The Utes were fortunate to have a bye week in between, but availability of the dual-threat Huntley remains very much in question. “We will see who is going to start on Saturday – everything is up in the air,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said Monday at his weekly news conference. “… Troy is completely acclimated with the offense, even prior to the bye week … (so) if Troy is the guy this week, then great. We are not overly concerned with who the guy is because we know whoever it is will need to get it done.” Stanford, meanwhile, started the season 1-2 but has since posted double-digit conference wins over UCLA (58-34) and Arizona State (34-24) behind Love, who rushed for 564 yards and four touchdowns in the two contests.
TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, FS1. LINE: Stanford -6
ABOUT STANFORD (3-2, 2-1 Pac-12): After rolling up a school-record 301 yards and three TDs last Saturday against the Sun Devils, Love leads the nation with 1,088 yards – more than 111 FBS teams and 265 yards more than second-place Rashaad Penny of San Diego State – and is averaging an FBS-best 11.1 yards per carry. On Friday, the Cardinal announced that junior quarterback Keller Chryst, who missed the Arizona State game with a head injury, will start Saturday but added that redshirt freshman K.J. Costello also will play after finishing 15-of-24 for 173 yards and a TD in his first start last week. On the other side of the ball, defensive tackle Harrison Phillips has notched a team-best 41 total tackles, three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks for a defense which is allowing 25.4 points and 444.2 yards per game.
ABOUT UTAH (4-0, 1-0): The Utes find themselves in the early driver’s seat as the only unbeaten team in the Pac-12 South with USC and Arizona State suffering losses last weekend. After stepping in for Huntley against the Wildcats, Williams completed 9-of-18 throws for 131 yards and rushed four times for 15 yards and a TD, but whomever is under center will be looking to get the ball to wideout Darren Carrington, who has caught 30 passes and leads the conference with 121.3 receiving yards per contest. Utah will counter Love with the Pac-12’s stingiest rushing defense (87.0 yards) and will look to add more takeaways to its Pac-12-best total of 14, including nine interceptions.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Utah leads the series 4-3 and has won both games against Stanford since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.
2. Love’s 1,088 yards are the fourth-most by an FBS player through five games, trailing only Garrett Wolfe (1,181 in 2006), Marcus Allen (1,136 in 1981) and Byron Hanspard (1,112 in 1996).
3. The Utes will have the kicking-game edge as they lead the nation in field-goal percentage (14-of-14) and net punting (45.3 yards).
PREDICTION: Utah 27, Stanford 24