The University of Utah officially knocked off their first conference opponent in the Big 12, trouncing the Oklahoma State Cowboys on the road, 22-19. Although the score doesn’t reflect it, the Utes completely dominated the Cowboys with their 18 year-old backup quarterback in a game that was supposed to be competitive.
Let’s take a look back at our burning questions and ask the burning questions for this week’s match up:
Which defense shows up?
The defense utterly smothered the Cowboys offense in the run and the pass game. Starting quarterback Alan Bowman came into the game with just under 1,000 passing yards passing on the year but you wouldn’t know that in this match up.
The entire defensive unit made Bowman uncomfortable by forcing him out of the pocket and off balance, leading to him being benched to start the second half with backup quarterback Garrett Rangel - adding insult to injury. Bowman was reinserted during the fourth quarter, but it was too late to matter. Both quarterbacks combined for 19-44 passing and 237 yards. The Cowboys run game was also highly ineffective; the defensive line limited their star running back Ollie Gordon to 42 yards on 11 carries.
The secondary also exposed one of Bowman’s weak spots: interceptions. Elijah Davis accounted for one interception while Alaka’i Gilman snagged the second. Smith Snowden was also really effective in the game, just missing a couple interceptions himself.
Can the Utes establish the run early?
It wasn’t a quick start offensively for the Utes, and even lead back Micah Bernard wasn’t happy with the first half.
Eventually the offense exploded and Bernard finished the day with a career high of 182 rushing yards on 25 carries. His biggest play was a 62 yard run down the field, breaking five tackles and juking a defender to the turf.
What’s even more impressive is he averaged 7.2 yards per carry in his master class performance. Utah’s RB1 entered this week with the eighth most yards in the NCAA on the ground.
With or without Rising, can Utah dominate in the pass game?
Going with Wilson was a decision made twenty minutes before the game, after Rising went through warmups but wasn’t able to get enough zip on his passes. Luckily, Wilson split first-team reps with Rising in preparation for this game's matchup.
After having a promising performance against Utah State, Wilson faced a bigger test on the road against Oklahoma State. The true freshman had his fair share of mistakes, but found success against a Top-15 opponent in front of a sold out crowd, where temperatures nearly scorched 140 degrees on the field. Wilson finished the game 17 of 29 for 207 yards. Dorian Singer led the team in receptions garnering seven receptions for 95 yards, Brant Kuithe finished just shy of Singer with four receptions for 74 yards.
The Utes jumped two spots to No. 10 in the AP poll after their win and return home to face off against an old Pac-12 rival, the Arizona Wildcats, and Utah is looking for revenge after last year's late game antics that led to a 42-18 whooping.
Granted, the Utes roster was depleted from the laundry list of injuries in 2023 and Arizona had a Top-20 team, but this year's matchup seems completely different.
Let’s take a look at our burning questions for this week’s matchup:
Can the defensive line dominate the line of scrimmage?
The Arizona Wildcats look a lot different from last season with the exit of Jed Fisch from the program. While core pieces of the offense return with Noah Fifita and wide receiver Terairoa McMillan, their offensive line has made a lot of adjustments. Collectively, they return a strong three man core with center Josh Baker, left guard Wendell Moe and right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea. Left tackle Jordan Morgan was replaced with Rhino Tapa’atoutai, and they are without Raymond Pulido. This instability hurt Arizona against their first Big 12 opponent, and the Wildcats rank No. 79 in rushing offense and after struggling on the offensive line against Kansas State, this also adds pressure on quarterback Noah Fifita.
Utah’s defense poses a serious challenge to Arizona’s line, led by Junior Tafuna and Keanu Tanuvasa, who are known for clogging lanes and pressuring quarterbacks. Defensive end Van Fillinger, now fully healthy, has also been a backfield disruptor, leading college football with 5.5 sacks. Utah faces a tough battle against Arizona’s dominant wide receiver in McMillan, but the bigger question is if the defense disrupt the Wildcats’ ability to get points on the board.
Will this be a breakout game from Dorian Singer?
“Arizona Dorian Singer” has returned. After struggling with USC in 2023, Singer has found himself again and looks like the same dangerous receiver that started his career at Arizona.
After a quiet start through the first couple of games, Singer has emerged as a top target for Isaac Wilson. Against Utah State, Singer hauled in five receptions for 66 yards, he was even more effective against Oklahoma State with seven receptions for 95 yards — including two contested catches. Although he didn’t get into the end zone, he was key in converting several first downs to keep offensive drives alive.
The Utes have found a strong balance between their pass and run game with Singer emerging as one of their top receivers. Whittingham also praised Singer for being a valuable piece of the offense to utilize week-in and week-out. Currently, he leads the team with 28 targets and has 17 receptions for 204 yards over the past four games. With his production continuously growing, the opportunity to dominate in the passing game could see a significant leap, we’ll see if this is the game.
Likelihood of Rising’s return this week?
Coach Whittingham continues to keep the quarterback situation under wraps, leaving it unclear whether or not we see Rising will start again this week. With Wilson’s start against Oklahoma State being a game time decision, a similar scenario will unfold today. The Utes also head into a bye-week next week. Do they hold out another game with Rising, and give Wilson more game time experience?
Wilson has shown he’s capable of leading the offense, and with the faith in him from the coaching staff, it certainly outweighs any drawbacks to start the true freshman under center if needed.
As of the writing of this article, Wilson is the likely one to expect under center.
