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The Washington State Cougars will host the (#14) Utah Utes on Thursday (October 27) night. The Utes are riding high, beating (#7) USC in a 43-42 thriller before enjoying a bye week last Saturday.
Junior QB Cameron Rising went bonkers, totaling 475 yards and five touchdowns on 29 completions and 11 rush attempts. In addition, tight end Dalton Kincaid had a coming-out party on the national stage, with 15 catches for a ridiculous 217 yards and a score.
Meanwhile, Washington State is also coming off its bye week. Their most recent game, a 24-10 road loss at Oregon State, saw the Cougs go 0-fer on fourth down while allowing six sacks to QB Cameron Ward.
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Utah Utes vs. Washington State Cougars Betting Odds
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Tale of the Tape
Utah's Kyle Whittingham, the second-longest-tenured coach in the FBS, is enjoying one of his best seasons as the Utes' frontman since their undefeated 2008 campaign.
Utah has one of the best offenses in the hyper-competitive Pac-12, ranking in the top four in the conference in average yards per play (6.7), rushing touchdowns per game (2.7), and pass competition percentage (69.2).
QB Cam Rising is one of the most efficient in the game, with three receivers already having over 20 receptions this season (Kincaid, WR Devaughn Vele, RB Micah Bernard).
Defensively, the Utes possess one of the best secondaries in college football. Sophomore CB Clark Phillips III leads all the FBS in interceptions with five, two of which went for a house call the other way. Utah also allows the lowest number of opposing passing yards per game within the Pac-12.
However, the Utes can be touched up with the ground game, permitting 142 rushing yards per game on 4.6 a pop. A talented USC team exposed the Utah rush defense, running for 175 yards on only 26 attempts.
Washington State is a respectful 4-3 despite going through their second head coaching transition in three years. Incarnate Word transfer and 2021 Jerry Rice award-winning QB Cameron Ward has been hit or miss, throwing for 280.3 yards per game but leading the Pac with eight interceptions.
In addition, the Cougars have been abysmal in the run game, averaging a conference-worst 89 rush yards per game on a measly 3.6 per rush.
Washington State's defense is a formidable unit that ranks in the middle of the Pac in all significant defensive metrics. The Cougs rank 27th in the FBS with 20.7 points allowed per game. Washington State allows a measly 5.3 yards per play, trailing only UCLA for the top spot in the conference.
Utah Utes vs. Washington State Cougars Prediction
The Utah Utes, under the tutelage of Kyle Whittingham, should be ready for a lowly Washington State squad with two weeks of preparation. Utah remains a tough-nosed squad that won't overlook their opponent.
Meanwhile, Washington State has had no ground game to speak of, which is the only thing that can keep the Cougars afloat against a superior opponent. So expect Utah to continue to climb the AP poll with another win.
Prediction: Utah -7 (-110)
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