The 17th-ranked Utes have a huge game this week against fourth-ranked Washington in a Pac-12 showdown Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
UW (7-0) which the Utes beat last year in Seattle, is bringing an offense that is averaging 48.3 points a game and a defense that only allows an average of 14.6 points to be scored against the Huskies.
Watch for these three things as the Utes continue to play with a chip on their shoulder.
1. Keep Jake Browning and the Huskies offense off the field
The Huskies' offense is putting up close to 50 points a game. The Huskies have outscored opponents by 236 points this season.
Browning, the Huskies' quarterback, has thrown 26 touchdowns this season and only two interceptions.
“He’s getting better at everything, including pass completion percentage, and was leading the nation coming into the weekend, said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. “He has about a 200 efficiency rating, which is phenomenal.”
Browning isn’t the only weapon the Huskies have. They have guys like John Ross who has nine touchdowns on the season, and Dante Pettis, who has eight touchdowns. On the rushing attack, Myles Gaskin is leading the way with six touchdowns.
“They do a good job with that offense,” said Whittingham. “Good people surround him. He has two running backs that are outstanding, a corps of receivers that are playmakers and an offensive line that is very good.”
2. Utah’s defense must show up
The Utah defense struggled against UCLA. Given UCLA threw 70 passes, the Utes' defense struggled.
With a team like the Huskies, you can’t give up big plays or have missed tackles. The Utes had 16 missed tackles against UCLA, the second highest by the Utes this season.
The Utes lead the nation in takeaways and could cause havoc for Browning, who likes to throw the ball.
With guys like Marcus Williams (if he’s healthy,” Dominique Hatfield, Chase Hansen and Brian Allen, the Utes' secondary is dangerous. If these guys all play well, it could be Pick Lake City this weekend in Salt Lake.
3. Keep the Utes' offense on the field
The Utes are currently No. 2 in the country in time of possession. With the offensive line playing like it did against UCLA and allowing Joe Williams to have the game he did, this is huge for the Utes.
“It’s critical to control the football and make first downs and move the chains,” Whittingham said. “We have done a great job of doing that this year. We are among the leaders in time of possession nationally and first in the Pac-12. It’s been a big plus for us and will be key in this game as in every game. When you control the ball, it works to your advantage.”
The Utes' offense has the ability to score the ball, and with Tim Patrick potentially being 100 percent this week, it only adds to the weapons that the Utes will have as they take on the Huskies' defense.
Whittingham praised other receivers on the team who can also give the Huskies' defense a challenge.
“Our receivers are really stepping up,” said Whittingham. “Sisosi Wilson really stepped up. Raleon Singleton has been getting better each week, and Cory Butler-Byrd has been getting better.”
"College GameDay" is coming back to Salt Lake City for the Pac-12 showdown. It will go live at 7 a.m., and the game starts at 1:30 p.m.
Carra McManamon is a native of Washington state and is attending the University of Utah. Contact her at cmcmanamon@deseretdigital.com or follow her on Twitter: @curramac22