CORVALLIS, Ore. — Interceptions may be in short supply Saturday at Reser Stadium. Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton and Utah starter Tyler Huntley have thrown 161 and 114 passes, respectively, without being picked off this season.
Those streaks are among the things to watch when the 15th-ranked Utes (4-1, 1-1) return from a bye week to face the Beavers (2-3, 1-1). Others include the possible return of running back Zack Moss, who missed Utah’s 38-13 win over Washington State on Sept. 28 with a shoulder injury. The senior is 176 yards away from surpassing Eddie Johnson (1984-88) as the program’s all-time leading rusher.
Moss acknowledged that the bye week has been good to him in terms of getting back on the field. However, he declined to confirm or deny his availability for the game.
“I feel good,” is all Moss would specifically say on the matter.
Before that, though, he offered some insight.
“I’m just trying to get out there and just help my team win this game,” he said, adding that the Utes are determined to keep taking the right steps toward winning a Pac-12 championship.
Moss would certainly be a weapon of note against an Oregon State defense that is last in the Pac-12 against the run, allowing 195.6 yards per game on the ground.
However, the Utes aren’t exactly gearing up for it.
“We’re just trying to go out there and play our game, execute our plays the best we can, do our 1/11th of each guy out there and just let everything else fall where it falls,” Moss said.
Utah has won the last three meetings with Oregon State, including two victories at Reser Stadium (2014, 2016).
The venue doesn’t draw the biggest crowds in the Pac-12. The Beavers have drawn an average of just 32,531 fans per game at home this season, ranking them 11th overall in the conference.
“I don’t think Corvallis is a tough place to play in,” said Utah defensive end Bradlee Anae. “It is hostile. The fans are hostile, but it’s all about the game.”
And Anae is confident the Utes will be fine if they can stop the run. Oregon State has a fairly balanced attack, with 272.6 yards passing and 203 yards rushing. Luton threw five touchdown passes last Saturday in a 48-31 win at UCLA and was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. The Beavers pushed Stanford to the limit (31-28) in a loss seven days earlier.
“Any time you go on the road in the Pac-12, it’s a challenge. Any week is a challenge, but particularly in the Pac-12,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “They’re coming off a nice win and playing with some confidence. We’re going to have to be at our best, no doubt about it.”
Eight Pac-12 teams have already won conference road games. Utah is one of four that hasn’t.
“It’s a very competitive league week in and week out, so we just take the same approach every week that we’ve got to be at our best if we want to win the game,” Whittingham said. “It’s the old cliché of anyone can beat anyone, and that’s proven each week.”
The Utes enter this game with confidence. Anae said there was good energy at practices. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson noted that the team has kept working and continued to get better.
“I think the bye week actually helped us out, honestly, just to get our bodies back to 100 percent and just keep studying the film,” he said.
EXTRA POINTS: The Utes are 16-21 in Pac-12 road games . . . Utah, USC. Washington and Washington State are the only teams in the league still seeking conference wins on the road this season . . . Four former Utah prep standouts have played in all five games for Oregon State this season: senior offensive lineman Gus Lavaka (Kearns), freshman linebacker Riley Sharp (Skyline), junior linebacker Doug Taumoelau (Brighton) and senior tight end Noah Togiai (Hunter).
Utes on the air
No. 15 Utah (4-1, 1-1) at Oregon State (2-3, 1-1)
Reser Stadium — Corvallis, Ore.
Saturday, 6 p.m. (MT)
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Radio: ESPN 700AM