
The college football world was turned upside down when No. 17 Utah pulled off up one of the more impressive wins of the season when it dominated No. 10 Oregon 38-7 on Nov. 20 to clinch the Pac-12 South title and a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game. It was a tremendous occasion the Utes who battled back from a 1-2 start and yet another tragedy with the death of defensive back Aaron Lowe to beat the league’s top team. Now, Friday’s rematch with the Ducks brings the chance for Utah to accomplish something it has never done before.
This will be the program’s third appearance in the Pac-12 title game and provides another opportunity for the Utes to finally break through and stand atop the league. In 2019, these teams met for the conference title and Oregon won 37-15. In 2018, Utah lost a crushing 10-3 game against Washington in this spot.
The Utes will hope that the third time is a charm and they can stop Oregon from claiming a third consecutive Pac-12 title. While the Nov. 20 loss at Utah doomed the Ducks’ chances of making the College Football Playoff, a Rose Bowl appearance is still hanging in the balance. This is an opportunity for them to show that they remain the class of the conference.
Oregon vs. Utah: Need to know
Establishing the run: Oregon averaged just 2.7 yards per rush against Utah in the first meeting. If the Ducks are going to win this time around, they need to establish the ground game. They took steps in that regard in a win over Oregon State last week by registering 231 yards on 41 attempts. But Utah’s defense kept its stifling pace last week by limiting Colorado to 64 yards rushing and just 148 total yards in a 28-13 victory.
Converting in enemy territory: Oregon made six trips into Utah territory during the first meeting…
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