This Saturday, the Utah Utes travel to Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, to face off against the UCLA Bruins in the PAC-12 showdown.
The Utes will take the field for the first time this season, as their last weekend’s clash against Arizona was canceled due to the number of COVID-19 cases among the Utes. Utah will search for its fifth straight win over the Bruins who opened the 2020 season with a 48-42 defeat at Colorado.
The Utes had a wonderful 2019 season
Despite a heavy 38-10 defeat to the Texas Longhorns in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl, the Utah Utes enjoyed a wonderful season, finishing atop of the Pac-12 South with an 11-3 overall record and 8-1 in the conference play.
However, the Utes lost RB Zack Moss and QB Tyler Huntley who joined the professionals last summer. This duo was unstoppable last year, as Utah was scoring 34.0 points per game (28th in the country) on 442.5 total yards (37th).
The Utes lost a few very important players on the defensive end, too. Last season, Utah was yielding only 13.2 points per game (5th) on 70.5 rushing yards (1st) and 185.9 passing yards (13th). The Utes’ rivals were converting just 29.3 percent of their 3rd downs (6th).
The Bruins’ D collapsed in the opener
UCLA kicked off the new season with a heavy loss at the Colorado Buffaloes. The Bruins allowed a whopping 35 first-half points, while the Buffaloes finished the clash with 525 total yards. UCLA’s run D was nonexistent, yielding 264 rushing yards to Colorado that carried the ball 59 times.
Therefore, the Bruins’ offense spent only 20:29 on the field. Junior QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson tossed for 303 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception while adding nine carries for 109 yards and one score. TE Greg Dulcich had four receptions for 126 yards and a TD.
Last season, the Bruins went 4-8 overall and 4-5 in the conference play. They were scoring 26.7 points per game (82nd in the nation) on 405.7 total yards (63rd) while allowing 34.8 points in a return (116th) on 456.3 total yards (112th).
Trends:
Utah:
- 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings with UCLA
- 8-2 ATS in the last ten games overall
- 4-1 ATS in the last five games on the road
UCLA:
- 0-4 ATS in the last four games overall
- 3-9-1 ATS in the last 13 outings at home
The Winner Prediction
I’m not sure what to expect from the Utah Utes. Not only because they didn’t play last weekend, but the Utes lost a bunch of key players from the previous season.
Still, Utah has owned the Bruins over the last few years, winning their previous four encounters and covering on all four occasions. I believe in the Utes’ recruitment, looking for a solid performance in this one, while the Bruins have already shown me a lot of defensive flaws.
According to DraftKings, the visitors are slight favorites which are good news considering all the new players among the Utes roster. The Bruins could make this game interesting to watch, but I’m backing the Utes to step up down the stretch and win by three or more points.
Pick: Take Utah and the points (-3.0) (-110).
The Total:
I’ve mentioned how dominant the Utes’ defense was in 2019. However, they lost a lot of key players from their last season’s defensive unit, so the Utes shouldn’t shut down the Bruins as they did in a 49-3 home victory in 2019.
The over is 2-1-1 in the previous four matchups between these two Pac-12 foes. I’m looking for a high-scoring affair at Rose Bowl this Saturday, as both teams should struggle defensively, especially the hosts. On the other hand, the Bruins’ offense should score a few touchdowns, taking the advantage of Utah’s inexperienced defense.
Pick: Go over 59.0 points (-110)