Coming off their all-important win against Stanford last weekend, the No. 5 Oregon football team (8-1, 5-1) will need to survive yet another test at No. 20 Utah (6-2, 3-2), who is coming off a 19-16 loss to Arizona State. With just three games remaining against bottom tier conference teams, the Ducks are in the home stretch in regards to making the inaugural college football playoffs.
Having said that, the Utes will be looking to stop the Ducks in their tracks and end their quest for a national title.
With the win, the Ducks will secure the Pac-12 North division title.
Here are some pregame notes for tonight’s game:
Broadcast information
TV: ESPN, WatchESPN
Latest line
Oregon by 8.5 points
Trap game
At this point in the season, the Utes are the only team standing between Oregon and their quest for a playoff birth. Sure, Colorado and Oregon State will attest to this claim, but this game against the Utes holds similar implications to the two recent Stanford matchups.
Utah has less to lose in this game than Oregon and with the luxury of playing at home, the Ducks will need to be at their best. Already cruising through UCLA and Stanford — their two toughest conference matchups — Utah could end up being the one trap game.
Stopping the run
In recent years, Oregon has struggled against physical lines and pro-ready running backs. And with Booker in the backfield for the Utes, this game will be nothing less than a grind.
The Utes are currently averaging roughly 200 yards on the ground heading into this game and it will be priority number one for the Oregon defense to try and slow them down. While veteran quarterback Travis Wilson will be looking to showcase his dual threat capabilities, this game will begin and end with Booker’s production.
Another opportunity for Don Pellum’s defense
Don Pellum and his staff have been waiting for their defense to tap into their potential since the season began and against the Cardinal, they did just that. But with three games remaining and a top four ranking to uphold, the Oregon defense will once again be a major factor.
Coming off arguably their best performance against the Cardinal, giving up just 16 points, there was more of a reason to believe in their progression. Under this context, this game could be the true determining factor on how good this Oregon defense really is.
Heading into this matchup, the Ducks are giving up an average of 24.8 points.
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim