Utah vs Utah St. College Football Handicapping
There won’t be any love lost between the Utah Utes and Utah State Aggies when they open their schedules against one another for the first time since 2009. A staple of each program’s non-conference schedule, the Battle of the Brothers dates way back to 1892, with the Utes holding a 77-29-4 all-time edge in the series.
Utah Utes vs. Utah State Aggies
Date: Thursday, August 29, 2013
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium
City: Salt Lake City, Utah
O/U Odds: 51
Spread: Utah -2.5
MoneyLine: Utah -120, Utah State +100
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Utah had won 12 consecutive meetings in this series before Utah State ended the streak in overtime a year ago, 27-20.
The Aggies are coming off one of the best seasons in school history, finishing 11-2 last season, including 6-0 in WAC play. That great year led to the program’s second consecutive bowl game, and they’ll look to continue that success in their first year under new head coach Matt Wells.
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The Aggies return 18 starters this season, none more important than junior quarterback Chuckie Keeton who threw for 27 touchdowns last season. Keeton helped the team to program records with 6,108 total yards and 454 total points.
The team will be hard-pressed to replace the 1,512 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns accumulated by Kerwynn Williams, but guys like junior Joe Hill are ready to step up.
The offensive weapons are nice, but the Utah State defense stole the show last season. The unit ranked seventh in scoring defense a year ago, limiting opponents to just 15.4 points per game. Linebackers Zach Vigil and Jake Doughty are back and most of the team’s defensive starters from a year ago are back with them. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
That’s reason to believe a repeat performance from the defense isn’t out of the question.
While Utah State enjoyed one of its best years, Utah struggled again as the Utes continue their transition to the Pac-12. The team finished 5-7 last season, including just 3-6 in Pac-12 play.
Sophomore quarterback Travis Wilson will be called on to help lead the program to better days. Wilson started seven games a year ago, throwing for seven touchdowns and 1,311 yards. He’ll get some help from new offensive coordinator and play-caller Dennis Erickson who has a history of creating strong offensive systems in college.
Losing star running back John White is devastating, but the team expects senior Kelvin York to replace a lot of that production in his new role as a starter.
Losing defensive end Joe Kruger to the NFL hurts, but the defensive line could still be a strength for the team with seniors Trevor Reilly and Tenny Palepoi, and junior Nate Orchard anchoring a solid, experienced unit.
The Aggies enter this game on a slew of incredible runs against the spread. They’re 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 games overall, 5-0-1 ATS in their last six road games, and 10-1 ATS in their last 11 non-conference games.
Gino’s Free Play: Under 51
The Aggies caught a a lot of breaks last season, including catching a bowl game against a banged up Toledo team that was losing bodies left and right. As much trouble as Utah has had with the Pac-12, don’t think they aren’t a step-up in talent from what Utah State is used to seeing in the WAC.
