The University of Utah is now 2-0 in Pac-12 play and ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll. Heading into week six, they’ll take on a suddenly dangerous threat in the No. 18 UCLA Bruins, in Pasadena.

Let’s take a look back at our burning questions against Oregon State:

How does Utah adjust to the loss of the Brant Kuithe?

While the Utes are without Rising’s top target, the options for him still seem abundant. He hit eight different targets, as Devaughn Vele led the team with 94 yards and one touchdown on seven receptions. Micah Bernard and Dalton Kincaid each had three receptions for 37 yards and 17 yards, respectively. Jaylon Dixon scored both times he touched the ball through the ground and in the air. Munir McClain, Logan Kendall, Thomas Yassmin and Money Parks also caught passes.

A head-scratcher moment for the offense came when Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig made a surprising call. Ja’Quinden Jackson came in for the wildcat formation and didn’t seem ready for Paul Maile’s shotgun snap to his stomach. Ultimately, this caused a loss of yards and pushed them out of field goal range, forcing a quick-punt with Rising at the end of the first half. It would be midway through the third quarter before Utah would gain momentum again and get more points on the board.

Overall, Rising elevated the offense with both his arm and his legs. He completed 19-25 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns, while keeping OSU on their toes with 73 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Will we see a battle of the defenses?

The defense gave up 417 total yards and the Beavers had timely runs that gashed the Utes’ front seven. They also utilized their arsenal of trick plays to keep the Utes on their toes. What saved the Utah defense was their timely interceptions—two coming in the end zone to stop Oregon State scoring opportunities and a pick-six.

Clark Phillips III had a stand-out game. His three interceptions tied him for second most interceptions in a game by a Ute. RJ Hubert also added an interception in the end zone running it back for 72 yards, which helped set up the Utes for a scoring drive.

Despite Utah’s convincing win, the Beavers actually gave up 46 less yards than the Utes. While it wasn’t a stellar performance by the run defense, the secondary came in clutch helping shape the win Saturday. If they struggle defending the run this coming weekend, the outcome likely won’t be in their favor.

Will Utah hit the explosive plays?

Although the offense didn’t have huge offensive passing plays, overall, the options at Rising disposal were there. One big piece of the puzzle has been the presence of Devaughn Vele. It’s been expressed several times in spring and fall camp about the special relationship between Rising and Vele on the field and it’s showing more with each game. They connected for seven receptions for 94 yards and Vele’s longest was 20 yards, which ended with him powering through the OSU defense and stretching out across the plane of the goal line. His ability to win the 50/50 balls has given Rising the confidence in knowing he can count on Vele.

Now let's take a look at our burning questions for this week's match-up against the Bruins:

How does Utah’s run defense match-up against the Bruins offense?

The Utah run defense has been the topic of conversation throughout this season. Against struggling teams, their proficiency in slowing down the run is strong. Against programs that pose a threat, their struggles are exposed.

Currently, the Bruins are averaging 441 yards per game, 215 of those yards are on the ground. So what does that mean for the Utes? This could pose a challenge for the front seven. Last week, the Utes allowed OSU 417 yards of total offense. Stopping the run on first and second down will be crucial in this game against UCLA, especially where Bruins QB Thompson-Robinson is similar to Florida’s Anthony Richardson being a dual-threat—only he’s much more seasoned.

Running back Zach Charbonnet rushed for 124 yards against Washington and Thompson-Robinson added 53 yards to their 187 yards total. Forcing third-and-long drives could give the Utes run defense an opportunity to apply pressure to Thompson-Robinson while containing him off the edge.

Regardless, if they play assignment-sound football and each player sticks to their 1/11, the Utes should do much better against the Bruins than they did against the Gators.

How does Utah’s run game become dominant again?

A lot of questions have been lingering surrounding the running backs group. While Tavion Thomas has been disciplined and seen a reduced role, there hasn’t really been a strong lead back.

The loss of Chris Curry to injury looms large. Adding Ja’Quinden Jackson to the group has provided intrigue, but he’s still adjusting, so the results aren’t there yet. Jaylon Glover needs more seasoning, and Micah Bernard has proven to be most effective in the passing game.

Last week, the Bruins held the Washington Huskies to 12 yards rushing, while Utah is averaging 203 yards per game. Figuring out who will step up and become their number one in the back field is still in question.

There’s no easy answer when the most feared rushing threat is currently quarterback Cam Rising.

Where has Utah’s swagger gone?

The Utes are 4-1 on the season and about to enter a rough three-game stretch that should define their season, for good or bad. Utah has been winning despite not quite having the edge that they played with in 2021. That swagger was seen in flashes last week, from Phillips’ three interceptions to Rising getting in the face of the Beaver defender that classlessly threw the captain’s shoe.

That’s the thing: there are flashes of the team's swagger, but that edge that they fought game after game with last season is yet to be consistent. With the games starting to mean more and more, will it re-emerge? There’s no doubt that it’s needed.