This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There's a feeling that there's something different about this year's Utes. Head coach Kyle Whittingham has said it's his most talented team since Utah joined the Pac-12 Conference. A handful of new additions have been as advertised, and Utah trounced its first two opponents before convincingly defeating Michigan in Ann Arbor.
But smooth sailing out of conference is nothing new: The Utes have won 12 of 13 against non-Pac opponents since 2011. For it to become more than a feeling, Utah needs to snap a three-game skid in Pac-12 openers against Washington State — which oh, by the way, very nearly beat No. 2 Oregon last Saturday.
Time, Place and [Radio Waves In] Space • Kickoff is 6 p.m. Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks and broadcast on ESPN 700.
The Set-Up • Idaho State was the first test, then Fresno State was the "real" test, then Michigan was a more real test, and now Washington State is the realest, or something. Truth is, fans may not have a perfect reading of the 2014 Utes until they visit No. 11 UCLA in Pasadena next weekend. But coming into the season, the largely agreed-upon goal was for Utah to make a bowl game, and to do that — even at 3-0 — they almost certainly must beat the 13.5-point underdog Cougars.
Fans Need To Know • It's homecoming week for the Utes, and Saturday morning the U. will hold its Scholarship 5K and KidsK, with walk-up registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Alumni House. Run and then imbibe guilt-free at the Homecoming Tailgate, which opens at 4 p.m. — or, really, just imbibe. We have no standing to judge.
Opposing Coach • Mike Leach has gone 94-62 as a head coach after pioneering the Air Raid offense. He's famously unusual, but if you didn't know that, maybe you don't care. What's relevant to Utah is that his Cougars were thumped 49-6 in Salt Lake City in 2012, but then ended the Utes' bowl hopes last year in a 49-37 shootout in Pullman.
Utah Ties • Leach, for starters, is a BYU graduate who never played football in college. He and Whittingham are old friends due to connections formed at BYU, although they said this week that they didn't know each other as students. Also, should anything happen to Connor Halliday, or should one side start running away with it, Logan's Luke Falk might take the field as the Cougars' backup quarterback.
Pregame Quotable • After saying that Washington State loses whether they kick to Kaelin Clay or kick away from him, Leach told reporters, "Either way, it'll pretty much be a secret — something we wouldn't tell you anyway."
Media Guide Nugget • Junior offensive lineman Moritz Christ began playing football in native Germany and moved to Texas as an exchange student. Six-foot-five, 319-pounder is a former soccer goalie for Leander High. … Freshman running back Squally Canada has a cool name. (What do you want from us? He does.) ... Last year's bowl appearance was WSU's first in 10 years, but that's nothing compared to a 50-year drought they ended in the 1981 Holiday Bowl, a 38-36 loss to a BYU team led on defense by linebacker Kyle Whittingham.
Telling Stat • Halliday has thrown for more than 400 yards a whopping nine times in his four years in Pullman, but the Cougars are just 4-5 in those games. Last season he went for 488 against the Utes, but without two pick-sixes thrown in the first quarter by Adam Schulz, Utah might've won. Even spotting the Cougars 14, Schulz rallied the Utes to within a score on a 64-yard touchdown pass to Jake Murphy. Moral of the story: Halliday will very likely put up some big numbers, and the Cougars may even take the lead. No lead is safe without a rushing attack, though.
Cougars Offensive Outlook • They pass a lot. That's pretty much the outlook. Leach will use a bevy of quick outs and screen passes to four wide receivers, and only when the opponent totally sells out to stop the nation's No. 1-ranked passing attack will he run. The Cougars have passed for 1,987 yards and rushed for 183. Four receivers would be Utah's leading receiver, with more than 278 yards. Of the 12 players who have caught passes for WSU this year, senior Isiah Myers has been the most prolific, with 32 grabs for 451 yards and five touchdowns. The surest way to stop them is to pressure on Halliday, who has been sacked nine times for a loss of 65 yards this season and has been prone to turnovers in the past (44 in his career, against 74 touchdowns). That bodes well for Utah, which is second in the nation with five sacks per game. But the Air Raid style will likely be a sterner test for Utah's secondary than anything they've faced this season.
Cougars Defensive Outlook • Whittingham said this week that he believes this is the best defense his old pal has had at the helm of Wazzu. Perhaps, but while they held high-octane Oregon to "just" 38 points, they also conceded 29 points per game against the likes of Rutgers, Portland State and Nevada. What worked against the Ducks was the pass rush, with WSU sacking potential No. 1 overall pick Marcus Mariota seven times. Coming into that game, though, the Cougars had just two sacks, and they are particularly susceptible in the run game, where opponents average 174 yards. So Washington State may pressure Travis Wilson and try to force mistakes, and if he makes them, Leach's offense has the potential to make Utah pay dearly. On the flip side, however, this is an offense that does not control the clock and a defense that cannot stop an opposing offense from controlling the clock. If Utah gets an early lead, look for a heavy dose of Devontae Booker and Bubba Poole.
Special Teams • Junior Quentin Breshears has taken over the placekicking duties after early season struggles from freshman Erik Powell, hitting three of four field goals. Elsewhere, there's not much to report. Washington ranks anywhere from solid to ho-hum in most aspects of special teams (41st kickoff return defense, 34th net punting, 58th kickoff returns, 78th punt returns), while the Utes have been spectacular (77th in kickoff return defense — but only because just four kicks have been returnable with Andy Phillips booming touchbacks — first in net punting, second in kickoff returns, 14th in punt returns).
Required Reading
Injury report • Reports that defensive end/linebacker Nate Orchard was seen around campus in a boot this week were — if perhaps true — nothing to fear, said Whittingham. Orchard will play. The Utes will still be without linebackers Jason Whittingham (wrist) and Jacoby Hale (knee), and likely for a few games to come. Washington State has no new injuries that we know of.
Three Big Questions
1. Who will get the upper hand early? • As mentioned earlier, Washington State can put points on the scoreboard, but they can't do very much about the clock on the scoreboard. Leach took flak in his Texas Tech days for running up the score, but that's how he best manages games without a rushing attack. If Utah falls behind, he'll keep the pressure on and try to make it ugly. If Utah takes an early lead, look for the home team to go north-south and look for Washington State to have a difficult time stopping them. The first quarter will likely have more bearing on this outcome than the fourth.
2. Can Utah pressure Halliday? • It's drop back, throw on most downs for Halliday. He does not spend much time sitting in the pocket, and Wazzu's agile line is built to give him the two to three seconds he needs to rid himself of the hot potato. That leaves burlier edge rushers Hunter Dimick and Jason Fanaika with a tall order, trying to get to Halliday without help. They will simply have to make him pay for any hesitation, and Utah will need to mix in some zone blitzing to catch Leach and Co. off-guard without — they hope — being caught out in coverage.
3. Can Utah protect Wilson? • Utah's offensive line has made few critical mistakes thus far this season, and the worst punishment Wilson has endured was of his own doing against Michigan. But WSU sold out to apply pressure against Mariota. Few, if any, quarterbacks in college football history have been better at making the right quick decisions as Mariota, so Utah needs to do better than Oregon's offensive line did against the Cougar front. Otherwise, Wilson is going to be hard-pressed to avoid bad decisions, and the last thing Utah wants to do is hand the ball back to Halliday earlier than scheduled.
— Matthew Piper
Twitter: @matthew_piper