Do we dare get our hopes up for Utah football to compete? Signs are positive that there will be a game played on Saturday between the Utes and USC Trojans, though Utah fans are understandably skittish about getting riled up—the last two Friday cancelations have been a backbreaker for Ute Nation.

But if the Utes do indeed play *fingers crossed*, they’ll be faced with a tough matchup with the enigma that is USC. Two games into their 2020 season, the Trojans have come out victorious after two fourth quarter deficits. Are the Utes ready to play?

Last Week’s Questions

Are the depleted position groups good enough to propel Utah to victory?

What Dorian Thompson-Robinson will we see?

What are Utah’s advantages and disadvantages going forward?

This Week’s Questions

Air raid vs. all new secondary. Who wins out?

Kedon Slovis has already thrown the ball 98 times through two games—for reference, Tyler Huntley threw the ball 301 times in 14 games in 2019. Slovis has 706 yards through the air, but only three passing touchdowns to show for it.

Utah’s new secondary will be strained from the get-go. Morgan Scalley and Sharrieff Shah will know soon enough if their prized recruits, such as Nate Ritchie and Clark Phillips III, are ready to make big time plays in game one.

One thing to watch, is that something seems off with Slovis and the spin he puts on the ball. Can the Utes capitalize? We’re about to find out.

Are we in for a high scoring affair?

Kyle Whittingham has alluded that he expects his offense to throw the ball more frequently in 2020 than in 2019. By all means, they should—it’s impossible to replace Zack Moss, and there are so many options at tight end and wide receiver, there is no excuse to not get the ball into playmakers’ hands.

Despite not playing yet this season (and being the last Power 5 team to take the field in 2020), this Utah team is hungry to prove themselves and are ready to take the field. They’ve gone through winter workouts, spring ball, summer conditioning, fall camp, and weekly practices to stay ready. After nearly a full year without playing, the Utes are ready to go.

In order to get the win against the Trojans, the Utes will likely have to light up the scoreboard.

What will we find out about the team?

Is Utah’s defense able to plug and play after replacing all but two starters? Is Utah’s passing offense all that it’s propped up to be, or is the pride and flaw of the offense through the ground game yet again? We won’t know until game time, so until then, let’s just get excited that we get to see these Utes play some football—at least we all hope. We all need it.