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USC, unmercifully, brought the Utes back to reality with a 42-24 pummeling last week. However, if ever there was a time to rebound, a date against the lowly Oregon State Beavers on Halloween night is about as good as it gets. Utah looked outgunned against the Trojans, succumbing too many times to USC's athleticism and speed. Oregon State is far less athletic, but presents an interesting challenge as a desperate team with a host of coaches with Utah ties. Here's a position-by-position look at this week's matchup and which team will have the edge heading into Saturday's game:
Quarterback
Travis Wilson looked rattled throughout the evening and appeared to be aiming passes directly at USC linebacker Cameron Smith, who picked the Utah senior off three times single-handedly in a four interception performance. Wilson hit Britain Covey for two nice touchdowns in the game and finished with 254 yards, but the turnover margin — a strength for the Utes this year — was a major weakness in the loss. Despite their struggles, the Beavers are no cupcake in the secondary, giving up the third least amount of passing yards per game in the Pac-12.
Oregon State shuffles the deck at quarterback between freshmen Nick Mitchell and Seth Collins. Mitchell is more of a pocket passer while Collins does most of his damage on the ground. In last week's loss against Colorado, Mitchell had more snaps, finishing the game with nine completions on 24 attempts, 122 yards and an interception. Collins threw only seven times, completing four passes for 77 yards, but also rushed for another 50 yards. The Utes will have to prepare for both, but with their inexperience, Wilson has a clear advantage here.
Edge: Utah
Running back
The Utes inexplicably abandoned the run game early in the USC game, Devontae Booker receiving only 14 carries good for 62 yards. Utah was behind early, forcing Wilson to throw more often, but Kyle Whittingham lamented Booker's usage, his lowest touches total of the season. Oregon State's defense has steadily improved over the last few weeks, but the Beavers still rank ninth in the Pac-12 in rush defense, giving up 16 touchdowns, five yards per carry and 197 yards per game on the ground this season.
Collins leads the Oregon State run game by a comfortable margin with 536 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Storm Barrs-Woods has been the leader at running back with 352 yards and a touchdown this year, but is struggling lately with only 125 yards in the last four games. Freshman Ryan Nall may be the presumptive favorite to start after rushing for 122 yards and a score against Colorado. Still, all three can't match Booker and will struggle against a Utah run defense giving up only 114 yards per game.
Edge: Utah
Receivers
Britain Covey exploded for his best receiving totals since the Oregon game against USC, racking up a career-high seven catches for 129 yards and two long touchdowns. Booker did some damage in the pass game with six catches for 49 yards, while Kenneth Scott pitched in four receptions for 30 yards. Whittingham said Monday the team will end Tim Patrick's season and seek a medical harship waiver, further dwindling Utah's depth. Oregon State features a stingy pass defense, but assuming Booker gets going, the Utes receivers will just have to make enough plays to keep the Beavers from stacking the box.
With Oregon State's passing game struggling, the days of Sean Mannion and Brandin Cooks are far in the rearview mirror. Sophomore Jordan Villamin has had the biggest impact and looks to have a bright future, leading the Beavers with 380 yards and four touchdowns on nearly 15 yards per catch. Victor Bolden is second on the team with 248 yards and a touchdown, while Barrs-Woods contributes in the pass game out of the backfield. Most concerning, only three Beaver receivers have found the end zone this season for an ugly total of six passing touchdowns. JuJu Smith-Schuster torched the Utes for 143 yards last week, but none of these guys present that kind of threat.
Edge: Utah
Offensive line
Wilson was sacked three times by the Trojans, bringing Utah's total for the season to 10. The Utes now rank second in the least amount of sacks given up behind only UCLA (8) and face the conference's worst pass rush in Oregon State this week. The Beavers have only nine sacks on the season, 15 behind Pac-12 leader Arizona State.
Oregon State has held up decently well against the pass rush this season, surrendering only 13 sacks. But the Beavers lost starting left tackle Sean Harlow for the season with an ankle injury in the Colorado game, forcing a reshuffle that will likely force sophomore Will Hopkins into action to protect Collins and/or Mitchell. The Utes got to Cody Kessler four times last week and could be in for another big day if they can exploit the loss of Harlow.
Edge: Utah
Defensive line and linebackers
The loss of Jared Norris was felt almost immediately against the Trojans, with Jason Whittingham struggling to maintain Norris' production. USC beat the Utes to the edges early and often and appeared to push Utah's defensive front around at times — even with a makeshift offensive line. Norris' status for this week is unknown, but if he can't go, the Utes should be able to manage without him. Gionni Paul turned in another Herculean effort, finishing with 17 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss against the Trojans. Utah's defensive front will have to be prepared for both Collins as a rushing threat and Mitchell under center, but should be able to contain and harass both.
Former Utah defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake organized the Beavers into the best defensive effort they've had all season last week against Colorado. After averaging 197 yards given up on the ground per game, Oregon State held the Buffaloes to only 188 yards rushing and generated a sack. Colorado isn't exactly lighting the world on fire offensively, but the Beavers have showed some progress defensively lately. Linebacker Rommel Mageo, who has 55 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and two interceptions is a player to watch. The Utes have a clear talent advantage and will likely be fired up to show their former coordinator what he's missed in Salt Lake City this year.
Edge: Utah
Secondary
Kessler picked the Utah secondary apart, completing 21 of 28 passes for 264 yards and a score. Dominique Hatfield was tossed aside — literally and figuratively — by Smith-Schuster in an explosive performance, but other than his impact, Utah held up well. Adoree' Jackson was limited to only 37 yards on six catches, while the Utes as a whole still boast the highest interception total in the Pac-12 with 13. The Utes should be able to generate a couple of interceptions and hold down an anemic Oregon State passing offense.
The Beavers boast a strong back end of their defense, but top corners Treston Decoud and Larry Scott both made the injury report this week ahead of the Utah game. Scott is questionable and Decoud is out altogether, potentially taking 12 combined starts, 46 combined tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss out of the lineup. With these injuries, the Beavers could be starting underclassman at three of five secondary spots, with spot duty players forced to contain Covey and Scott. Assuming Scott plays, OSU will be in better shape, but the Utes still have an advantage.
Edge: Utah
Prediction: The Beavers are in desperation mode and this Oregon State team should have a slightly better idea than other teams of what the Utes can do with Gary Andersen and Sitake on the sideline. Still, the Utes will be smarting after losing their undefeated status against USC and have motivation to control the Pac-12 South race moving forward. Utah wins this game comfortably, 35-13.