It appears to be the last true test Oregon will face this regular season when it meets 20th-ranked Utah at Rice Eccles Stadium Saturday. It’s another clash of opposites as Utah’s physical prowess will try to stop Marcus Mariota and the Ducks. With that, Associate Sports Editors Joseph Hoyt and Hayden Kim answered a roundtable of questions, offering insights and predictions for a matchup that has all the ingredients to be either an upset or Oregon’s fifth consecutive win.
Utah running back Devontae Booker has bursted on the scene over his last five games. He’s rushed for 811 yards in that span – an average of 162 yards per game. Does he get over, or under 162 yards against the Ducks?
Hoyt: Booker has been a stud for the Utes. He’s become Utah’s offensive bloodline. However, 162 yards against any team in college football is not an easy task. Booker should finish under the mark of 162 against Oregon. It wouldn’t hurt the Ducks defensive cause if Arik Armstead can start and finish the game for Oregon. He left the game against Stanford early and missed two of the last four games before that.
Kim: Devontate Booker is the type of back that the Oregon defense has struggled against in the past. Having said that, recording 162 yards against a defense that recently shut down Stanford to just 16 points may be a stretch. By no means is the Oregon defense fully confident in stopping Booker from achieving this stat, but it won’t be easy.
Utah has one of the best pass rushing duos in college football. Nate Orchard and Hunter Dimick have combined for 21 sacks this season. How many sacks do the Utes finish with against Oregon?
Hoyt: It’s been well-documented how monumental the return of Jake Fisher to the starting lineup has been for the Ducks. Oregon hasn’t avoided injuries on the Oregon offensive line, though. Right tackle Matt Pierson left last weekend’s game against Stanford with a knee injury. Regardless if it’s Pierson, or true freshmen Tyrell Crosby at right tackle, Oregon will have its hands full against Orchard and Dimick. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Utah get three sacks on Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Kim: I’m going to go with one or two. Since the return of Jake Fisher, the Oregon offensive line has continued to get better and I don’t see them giving up more than two sacks this game. Nate Orchard and Hunter Dimick may be proven, but it’s easier said than done against a mobile quarterback like Marcus Mariota.
Is Saturday’s game against No. 17 Utah a trap game for the Ducks? What’s your prediction for the game?
Hoyt: Post Stanford hangover? Not for Oregon. The Ducks erase their recent November struggles and come out of Rice-Eccles Stadium with a 35-21 victory. Marcus Mariota throws for over 300 yards as the Ducks cruise in the second half to a 14-point win.
Kim: Before the season began, Utah was among my few selective teams that I considered to be sleepers. And since that pick, the Utes have done almost everything they can to prove themselves. Fresh off their first real playoff projection by the committee, this matchup at Utah will be Oregon’s only real trap game of the season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this game go down to the wire.