Utah-Oregon State Prediction, Odds, Pick, How To Watch College Football
It is a Top-25 match-up in the PAC 12 as tenth-ranked Utah takes on 19th-ranked Oregon State. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a Utah-Oregon State prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Utah enters the game at 4-0 and will face their second straight top-25 opponent this week. They opened the season with a win over Florida. The Utah defense dominated most of the game, not allowing a touchdown for Florida until they were already up 24-3. They would end up winning 24-11. They then made another impressive defensive showing against Baylor, winning 20-13 before taking care of Weber State 31-7. Last week, it was the defense once again. It started with an interception returned for a touchdown on UCLA's first play from scrimmage. Then, UCLA would not find the end zone until 3:39 left in the game, as Utah won 14-7. This year the defense has allowed just four touchdowns while scoring twice. They have also done all of this winning without their top quarterback, Cam Rising, who could be back soon from an ACL injury.
Oregon State enters the game 3-1 on the year. After dominating in the first three games over Dan Jose State, UC Davis, and San Diego State, they finally lost their first game last week. Washington State took an early two-score lead against the Beavers and would score four times in the first half to lead 28-14 at halftime. Cameron Ward would throw his fourth touchdown pass of the game in the third quarter to make it a 35-14 lead for the Cougars. Oregon State would fight back though. They scored three times in the fourth quarter but would fall 38-35.
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Utah-Oregon State Odds
Utah: +3.5 (-120)
Oregon State: -3.5 (-102)
Over: 44.5 (-112)
Under: 44.5 (-108)
How to Watch Utah vs. Oregon State
TV: FS1
Stream: Fox Sports App
Time: 9:00 PM ET/ 6:00 PM PT
*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Utah Will Cover The Spread
For Utah, it has been all about the defense this year. They have been great in the pass rush so far this year. Utah has pressured the quarterback 66 times this year and come away with 15 sacks. That is led by Jonah Elliss. He has 13 quarterback pressures on the year with six sacks and a ball batted down at the line. Meanwhile. Logan Fano has 14 quarterback pressures and three sacks this year to help this solid pass rush. Utah has also been amazing in the past. This year they have nine forced incompletions, eight pass breakups, five interceptions, and a dropped interception.
The most targeted defensive back has been Zemaiah Baughn this year. He has 17 targets on him and allowed just eight receptions while breaking up two passes and having a pick. While he has given up a touchdown, just one of two through the air for the defense, he also has limited yards after the catch to an average of just two per reception.
The run defense is also stellar. They have missed just 11 tackles all season on the run. Further, they have 54 stops for offensive failures on 81 running plays this year. Jonah Elliss is making an impact here too, with ten stops for offensive failures, while having an average depth of tackle a half-yard beyond the line of scrimmage. Lander Barton has seven stops for offensive failures, while also forcing a fumble this year.
At quarterback, it has been Nate Johnson taking the majority of the snaps with Cam Rising still out. While there is a possibility he plays this week, if not, Johnson provided a competent replacement. This year he is 31-49 passing for 398 yards and two scores. He has not thrown an interception and has just three turnover-worthy passes. He does need to improve in the face of pressure though. Johnson has been pressured 25 times this year on 64 dropbacks. That has led to seven sacks on the season. He has also fumbled the ball six times this year, although not all of them became turnovers. Still, he has 186 yards on the ground with three scores.
The group game has been solid for Utah as well. Ja'Qunden Jackson is hitting nearly two yards of running room before contact and has run for 239 yards this year. Meanwhile, Jaylon Glover has 179 yards this year and two scores. Utah is averaging over 4.6 yards per carry this year while scoring six times on the ground.
Why Oregon State Will Cover The Spread
For Oregon State to win, DJ Uiagalelei has to play well. He was good the first week of the season but has since regressed. On the year, he is 58-104 passing for 823 yards. Uiagalelei has seven touchdowns this and three interceptions. According to PFF, he has seven big-time throws and one more turnover-worthy pass. Against Washington State, he 3was limited. While throwing for 198 yards, he averaged just 5.4 yards per attempt while throwing a touchdown and an interception. Uiagalelei was also pressured 15 times in the game on 41 dropbacks. That led to two sacks and two scrambles for positive yards.
Oregon State also needs to have a solid day on the ground in this game against a good Utah defense. Uiagalelei has scored five times on the ground this year, while the combination of Damien Martinex and Deshaun Fenwick has been good. Martinez has run for 432 yards this year on just 58 carries. That is good for 7.4 yards per carry while he has also forced 18 missed tackles. Fenwick has run for 267 yards on just 38 carries this year. That is also good for seven yards per carry, as he has scored four times and caused nine missed tackles. The offensive line has been solid, giving over three yards of space beyond the line of scrimmage on average before first contact this year.
The defense is also going to need to be stout in this game. Mistakes will lead to big plays, and with how good the Utah defense is, it will be hard to climb out of a hole against them. First, there has to be pressure on the quarterback. If it is Cam Rising, pressuring him in his first game back from injury would be helpful, or causing Nate Johnson to panic and take sacks will put them in a good situation. On the year, Oregon State has caused 61 quarterback pressures and come away with 16 sacks. They have also forced five fumbles this year. With the ball security issues that Johnson has had, that could play into the Beavers's favor.
Final Utah-Oregon State Prediction & Pick
This game has strength against strength. Oregon State has a great running offense led by two great backs, and DJ Uiagalelei who can do some damage with his legs. Utah has an amazing run defense that often makes contact behind the line of scrimmage and forces the team into third and longs regularly. The biggest difference in this game is the defense of Oregon State. They were just beaten up by Cameron Ward. Ward threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns while also running one in during the game. While Utah does not have the same offensive weapons, they are still solid. They will be able to score enough to come away with a win in this one.
Final Utah-Oregon State Prediction & Pick: Utah +3.5 (-120)
