College Football Game of the Week: No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 13 Utah

Week 9 of the college football season is almost here, and with that comes a matchup with playoff implications between the No. 8 Oregon Ducks and the No. 13 Utah Utes.

This is the last time Oregon and Utah will play as Pac-12 rivals, so it’s a bittersweet ending between the two squads with the Ducks heading to the Big Ten and the Utes to the Big 12 next season.

The Ducks’ offense has been powerful all season long, as their lowest number of points in a game so far has been 33 when they lost in a thrilling battle against Washington. The offensive line has been a bit inconsistent recently, but quarterback Bo Nix has still played at an elite level despite that.

Oregon will be tested though in Utah territory against a defense that only coughs up 78 rushing yards per game, which is fifth in the FBS. The Utes give up 295.4 total yards per game, which is the 14th-best.

With Utah’s stout-rushing defense in mind, it’ll be interesting to see how the unit matches up against the powerful running back Bucky Irving. Irving has rushed for 256 yards and three touchdowns in the last two games.

And even if Oregon’s running game can’t get moving, Nix can comfortably rely on his star receivers Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson to test a Utes’ defense that is tied for 55th in the nation for passing yards allowed per game. Who are they tied with you may ask? Oregon.

Although Utah is still without its starting signal caller in Cameron Rising, the junior backup Bryson Barnes has been doing enough to win games. Including a huge victory at No. 18 USC.

Barnes is more than capable at making impactful plays down the field against Oregon’s secondary, but the Utes’ offense hasn’t been putting up a plethora of points like the Ducks do consistently; which could be the difference maker in this Salt Lake City showdown.

So if the passing game isn’t there for Utah, what about the ground attack?

The Utes are 31st in the FBS in rushing yards per game at a 183.3 clip. Barnes has scampered for 107 yards and two touchdowns in the last two contests, and the duo of Ja’Quinden Jackson along with Sione Vaki in the backfield might be the biggest test yet for a Ducks’ defense that is 11th in rushing yards per game at 95.1.

Second-year coach Dan Lanning has been doing a great job since taking over as the head coach for Oregon after the departure of Mario Cristobal for Miami.

Saturday is one of the most monumental games of Lanning’s young tenure against an experienced and long-time coach Kyle Whittingham. Whittingham has the longest tenure in the Pac-12, and he’s tied with Mike Gundy for the second-longest in the FBS. His 19th season with Utah is only behind Kirk Ferentz of Iowa.

Expect some touchdown trading between these squads, with Oregon potentially getting the slight edge because of its experience and depth on both sides of the ball. If Barnes and his backfield can start firing early though, things could get very interesting and turn into another Oregon vs. Washington battle from a couple of weeks ago.

Be sure to watch this thrilling game unfold this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST to find out.

Jake Irwin is a fourth-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jpi5089@psu.edu.