**Editor’s Note: Each week during football season, we feature an essay from the opponent’s student newspaper on why Oregon will lose. This week’s edition is from Brock Jensen, staff writer at the The Daily Utah Chronicle.**
Although it is ranked lower than No. 4 Oregon, Utah actually has a great matchup this weekend when the Ducks come to town. Though Oregon is the obvious favorite in this game, it’s going to be a lot closer than most people think.
Despite the uncertain quarterback situation for Utah, the Utes have found ways to grind out wins. This is evident by both of their losses being decided by less than a touchdown, as well as a number of close victories. This game is going to be a great college showdown that has College Football Playoff implications as well.
When it is all said and done, I believe Utah will find a way to win this game. A couple of reasons go into this prediction, the first being because it is a home game for Utah. Teams with home-field advantage in the Pac-12 have proven really difficult to beat.
The home turf has been kind to its teams this year and I don’t think that changes with Utah against Oregon. The advantage of playing on your own field and having the entire crowd rally around you is an intangible factor in every game. The MUSS (Mighty Utah Student Section) will come ready to be loud as ever against an exciting opponent.
The running game for the Utes has been absolutely phenomenal this season. Devontae Booker has nearly 1,000 rushing yards on the season and is averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He has been the workhorse for Utah and is the reason why it has been able to hang around in games, despite Utah’s lack of a passing attack.
The offensive line has also played well and if they continue to do so, it will keep a high-powered Oregon offense on the sideline. The Utes need to control the tempo of this game to have a chance at victory. With the way Booker has been running the ball lately, it will give Utah a great opportunity to avoid a shootout with Oregon. If the Utes can keep running the ball like they have been, they will have a great shot at taking down a highly-talented Oregon team.
Salk Lake City is the phrase a lot of Utah fans and others have used to describe Utah’s major strength. The defensive line has been second to none this year at creating pressure on opposing quarterbacks. It has been ferocious and has found ways to get through offensive lines to take down quarterbacks. I really don’t see that changing against Oregon.
One of the weak areas for the Ducks is their offensive line; this weakness has been further exacerbated by the injury to Matt Pierson, the right tackle for Oregon. Adding insult to injury could be detrimental to Oregon because Utah is going to have their way in the trenches all night. Utah leads college football with 39 sacks this season. Further looking into this statistic also shows that 29 of those 39 sacks have come by rushing only four or less players. Being able to get that kind of pressure with only four pass rushers is great for a defense because it allows the other seven players to play coverage or whatever other assignment they have. Heisman candidate Marcus Mariota will have Utah defenders breathing down his neck all night and how he responds will probably be the deciding factor in this game.
If Utah can control the tempo of the game and continue to get pressure on the quarterback like it has been, I like the Utes to pull off the upset and beat Oregon here at Rice-Eccles Stadium. My prediction 27-24 Utah.