Getty Max Borghi #21 of the Washington State Cougars carries the ball against Ben Burr-Kirven #25 of the Washington Huskies in the first half at Martin Stadium during the 111th Apple Cup on November 23, 2018 in Pullman, Washington.
Two teams that want to be Pac-12 contenders look to get back on track after disappointing losses when the Washington State Cougars visit the Utah Utes on Saturday night.
Washington State opened the season 3-0 before a disappointing loss at UCLA last Saturday while Utah also saw their three-game winning streak after a 30-23 road defeat at USC last Friday. Washington State leads the all-time series 9-7 and they’ve won the last four meetings, including a 28-24 victory on September 29, 2018.
Washington State Cougars (3-1) vs. No. 19 Utah Utes (3-1)
Saturday, September 28 at 10:00 PM ET
Rice-Eccles Stadium
Coverage: FS1
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by Jazz Sports
- Washington State vs. No. 19 Utah -6
- Over/Under: 57.5
Washington State Cougars
Washington State had an epic meltdown in the second half of their 67-63 loss against a previously winless UCLA team. The teams combined for 130, which set a Pac-12 single-game record. Washington State finished with 720 total yards, the second most for a single-game in school history, but they could not overcome six turnovers that led to 29 points for UCLA.
Anthony Gordon completed 41 of 61 passes for 570 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions, Max Borghi ran for 123 yards on 15 carries and Easop Winston Jr. caught 10 passes for 114 yards and four touchdowns. Gordon’s nine touchdown passes broke the school record of seven set by Gardner Minshew in a 69-28 win against Arizona on November 17, 2018.
Utah Utes
Utah’s fell flat in their 30-23 road loss against USC last Friday. They dominated USC statistically, outgaining them 457-381, they had 27 first downs to USC’s 16 and won the time of possession 38:12 to 21:48 but a fumble inside the five-yard line late in the second quarter along with a number of penalties and their inability to prevent the USC wide receivers from making big plays doomed them.
Tyler Huntley completed 22 of 30 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown and added 60 rushing yards on 10 carries and Devin Brumfield ran for 63 yards on 10 carries but their ground game clearly struggled after star running back Zack Moss (393 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 63 carries this season) left the game in the first half with an apparent shoulder injury.
Trends and Prediction
The Washington State Cougars are:
- 1-4 ATS in their last five games after accumulating more than 280 passing yards in their previous game
- 1-4 ATS in their last five games on FieldTurf
- 1-6 ATS in their last seven games after allowing more than 280 passing yards in their previous game
- 0-4 ATS in their last four games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game
- 0-4 ATS in their last four games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game
The Utah Utes are:
- 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games after allowing more than 280 passing yards in their previous game
- 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up loss
- 22-10 ATS in their last 32 games after accumulating more than 200 rushing yards in their previous game
Utah will be the toughest opponent that Washington State has faced this season, their pass defense struggled against UCLA and their defense isn’t effective against the run. Utah is dealing with injuries in their backfield and they will miss Zack Moss but seven other players had carries against USC and they should still be able to run the ball, control the clock and keep Anthony Gordon off the field.
Pick: Utah -6
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