Oregon, Utah meet for 2nd time in 13 days to decide Pac-12 champion
LAS VEGAS (BVM) – No. 10 Oregon won’t have to wait long to try to avenge a 38-7 beatdown it suffered at the hands of No. 17 Utah less than two weeks ago. The loss dashed Oregon’s College Football Playoff hopes and eliminated the possibility of the Pac-12 champion claiming a bid in the four-team playoff.
But the stunning result has set up a rematch just 13 days later. The Ducks and Utes will meet on Friday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line.
“It’s a little different playing the same team twice in a 13-day period,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said during Monday’s press conference. “That’s how it goes, no problem and it’s just the way things laid out and so we need to get ourselves ready again for a very good Oregon Duck team.”
Whittingham’s club thoroughly dominated the first matchup of these top-25 teams as the Utes piled up 208 rushing yards while holding the Ducks’ vaunted rushing attack to just 63 yards on the ground. Sophomore running back Tavion Thomas hit paydirt three times two weeks ago against Oregon and has now rushed for 978 yards and 18 touchdowns this season.
Expect another heavy dose of Thomas and junior running back TJ Pledger, who has rushed for at least 100 yards in three of the Utes’ last four games.
“There are no major overhauls, but you do tweak some things and make some subtle adjustments here and there,” Whittingham said Monday. “Not a lot of things have changed with either team in eight days or nine days, but really, it’s the execution, the energy and that type of stuff that’s more critical than any minor schematic adjustments that you make.”
Much of Whittingham’s emphasis for Friday night’s showdown will be on once again slowing down the Ducks’ elite rushing attack led by senior quarterback Anthony Brown and junior running back Travis Dye. The dynamic duo’s performance against Utah the first time around (37 combined rushing yards) was an outlier as Oregon has the fourth-most rushing touchdowns (34) in the FBS this season.
“If they (Oregon) get their usual rush yardage, which they did against Oregon State, they are tough to beat,” Whittingham said Monday. “That was one of the keys for us was to limit the run game. It is always good to start fast, although if you don’t you can’t let it be a major factor. You just have to fight through the adversity and keep playing. But that is always a positive if you can get an early lead and playing with a lead is a lot easier than playing from behind.”
Sophomore quarterback Cam Rising didn’t have to do much during the Nov. 20 win over Oregon (10-of-18 passing, 178 passing yards and a rushing touchdown), but he’ll almost assuredly have a bigger role on Friday night and a new face to account for.
Sophomore defensive back Verone McKinley III exited the first meeting between these two teams in the first half with an injury and did not return. He’s the Ducks’ second-leading tackler (67 total) and the team’s leader in interceptions (5). Rising has taken care of the football all season long for the Utes (three INTs are tied for second fewest in FBS) and will have to do it again with the help of his offensive line on Friday night to earn a Pac-12 crown.
“He’s number 11, just slipped outside the top-10 in QBR (80.8) in the nation, which means he is doing a great job running the offense,” Whittingham said of Rising on Monday. “The offensive line has really come together. We had some huge holes on Friday in the Colorado game due to the offensive line just being efficient and playing well.”
The Utes enter Friday night as 2.5-point favorites and winners of five consecutive games. They’ll look to beat the Ducks for the second time in 13 days and punch their ticket to Pasadena.
“We really figured out who we were about game four,” Whittingham said Monday. “That’s when we figured out what makes us go and we’ve just taken off from there.”
