Beavers vs Utes NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
The Oregon State Beavers travel to Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday to take on the Utah Utes in their first in-conference battle of the season. OSU is 1-1 on the year, while the Utes have started 2-0.
Oregon State (1-1) @ Utah (2-0)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 10:00 PM ET @ Rice-Eccles Stadium
Moneyline: Oregon State +145, Utah -165
Spread: Utah -3.5
O/U: 58
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Oregon State
Last season, the Beavers took down the Utes 21-7. Unfortunately for the fans in Corvallis, Ore., they have a team that has started slowly compared to the 6-0 start in 2012. Utah will look to take advantage of that, as it’s played extremely well up to this point.
The Oregon State Beavers haven’t fully recovered from their disturbing loss to the FCS’s Eastern Washington, but they took a step in the right direction with a 33-14 win over the Hawaii Warriors in Week 2.
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In their most recent matchup, they dominated through the air, as Sean Mannion threw for 372 yards and four touchdowns. That performance put him at second in the nation in passing yards, and the team currently stands at third with 436.5 per contest.
Unfortunately for the Beavers, their defense has been the real story thus far, and not for good reasons. They showed improvements in holding Hawaii to just 14 points, but they’ll need to revert back to their 2012 ways if they want to contain the Utes. Utah is currently No. 10 in the country in scoring, and their approach on offense is balanced through both the air and on the ground.
The Beavers are giving up more than 300 yards per game to opposing quarterbacks, and putting pressure on Travis Wilson will be crucial. He hasn’t thrown a pick yet this season, and OSU’s secondary will need to make him uncomfortable, as tackling has been a problem thus far. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Utah
The Utes have started off their season in impressive fashion. They’ve averaged 50 points per game, which is good enough for 10th in the nation, and they’ve given up just 16.5, which places them at 31st. The caliber of competition hasn’t been the highest, as Utah State and Weber State will be two of the easier opponents, so now it’s time to prove they have what it takes against a legitimate Pac-12 opponent.
Defensively, it’s all about stopping the pass. Oregon State has a couple of potential playmakers at running back, but Mannion has been running the show thus far, and that’s not expected to change. Utah has recorded nine sacks in just two weeks, and must look to get to the quarterback in Week 3.
Offensively, this one is all about Wilson making plays both through the air and on the ground. We mentioned that the attack is balanced, and Wilson is the reason why. He had five total touchdowns against Weber State—three through the air, two on the ground—and that’s the exact skill set that drove the Beavers to an upset loss in the first week of the season.
When looking at the numbers, Utah has to be favored. Despite Oregon State’s surprisingly impressive 2012 performance, it’s just 5-14 Straight Up in its last 19 road contests. The Utes are 4-1 Straight Up in their last five games at home, and luckily for them, they hold home-field advantage in this one.
O/U Pick: Under
Score Prediction: Utah 33 – Oregon State 27