Know Your Opponent: UCLA Football vs. Utah 2017

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After being crushed by the Washington Huskies, UCLA Football Bruins will face the Utah Utes on a short week. Playing on a Friday in Salt Lake City. In a battle of under performing programs, who pulls themselves from the bottom of the division and who falls deeper into PAC-12 purgatory?

Despite Utah being a fellow PAC-12 south team, the Utes and the UCLA Football Bruins have only met 15 times since 1933 when the Bruins beat Utah 21-0 under then head coach Bill Spaulding. My how times have changed.

The Bruins own the series 11 games to four but Utah head coach Kyle Wittingham snagged the win last year with UCLA QB Josh Rosen out of the game. In his place Mike Fafaul threw for over 460 yards and five scores but also threw four interceptions against an aggressive and very talented defense.

Flash forward to 2017 and neither team has been able to live up to the hype they carried into the season. The Bruins have been up and down with the loss to Washington and Rosen being knocked out of the game with injury their latest down.

Meanwhile the Utes started hot under new starting QB Tyler Huntley knocking off their first three opponents and then came Arizona. Huntley was lost early in the game but behind backup Troy Williams the Utes knocked off the Wildcats who were starting Brandon Dawkins (no idea why).

It would be the last win they would enjoy over the next four games. Even when Huntley was able to return after losses to Stanford and USC, he was ineffective against ASU (155 yards, four interceptions) and overpowered by the Ducks despite a solid outing (293 yards, two scores).

Both of these teams are looking to get a win as they lose chances to become eligible and salvage what they can from a disappointing 2017.

Utah Offense

As long as Wittingham is the coach of the Utes they are going to run the football and do it well. The UCLA Football team knows that first hand. RB Joe Williams went for over 300 yards against the Bruins in 2016 and this year the run defense continues to be a major concern. That was last year though. This year the rushing attack is in the lower half of college football in terms of production gaining just under 150 yards a game. Their four yards per carry has to make Bruin fans jealous.

Zack Moss is the leading rusher for the Utes but his production has been up and down this season. He has two games over 100 yards but in those games the Utes are 1-1. He does however get a great opportunity to have a season best game against a UCLA defense that has struggled to slow runners.

The offensive line had to answer a number of questions coming into 2017 since they were decimated by the NFL draft. Utah has a history of putting together physical, large offensive lines that are strong run blockers and average pass blockers. That trend has carried into the current season but this isn’t the line we’ve all come to expect. Of course that won’t be a major issue given the defense they’ll be facing. Still the Bruins should attack downhilll against this offensive line in the run game since that’s what seems to be giving this Utah team the most trouble.

The receiver group got a major boost when Darren Carrington who had been dismissed from Oregon late in the off-season. When he came into the Utah program he instantly became their most talented and accomplished receiver. He’s gained over 700 yards through the air and found the endzone five times. He’s the number one target by far for this option giving them a 50/50 ball receiver and the big body threat they need in the redzone.

The quarterback position is a really interesting position on this team looking forward. Tyler Huntley came in and won the job in fall camp beating out incumbent starter Troy Williams. Both offer the ability to make plays with their legs but Huntley is the far more capable passer with room to grow. He has however sustained injuries this season and his durability is a legitimate question. If Troy Williams starts the game the Bruins can focus on selling out against the run.