After a tough loss against rival BYU last weekend, the Utah Utes (1-1) look to bounce back this weekend as they hit the road again to face the San Diego State University Aztecs (2-0). SDSU is coming off a 38-14 win over Arizona, who lost to BYU 24-16 in week 1. This game will tell fans a lot about the outlook for the rest of the Utah 2021 season: will they bounce back and assert themselves back into the Pac-12 South contender conversation, or will they struggle to control the lines again?

SDSU strength: Running game

San Diego State ran all over the Arizona defense, literally. Led by senior running back Greg Bell’s 125 yards and a touchdown, the Aztecs rushed for 271 yards on 55 attempts (4.93 yards per carry) and 2 touchdowns. Senior Chance Bell carried the ball 10 times for 52 yards, and fellow senior Kaegun Williams ran for 42 yards on 9 attempts. This is a very senior-heavy driven backfield, and SDSU will most likely lean on them again looking at the Utes. Greg Bell has back-to-back 100+ yard performances and they ran over 250 yards in both games. Kyle Whittingham and co.’s first focus is always to stop the run, and they will need to do so in order to beat San Diego State.

SDSU question mark: Discipline

Last week at Arizona, the Aztecs racked up eight penalties for 84 yards. Despite a dominating win, head coach Brady Hoke knows that those will need to be cleaned up moving forward. In addition to the penalties, as big of a win as 38-14 looks, SDSU only scored three points in the second half against the Wildcats. The defense still handled Arizona’s offense into the second half, but with the offense fizzling,

SDSU X-factor: Line of scrimmage

As in most games, whoever wins in the trenches tends to control the game. However, both the offensive and defensive line performances will be crucial for the Aztecs (and the Utes). After Utah was pushed around by BYU on both sides, San Diego State must be licking their chops at their chance to defeat an old Mountain West conference foe. In addition to the offense running for over 250 yards in consecutive games, the Aztecs held New Mexico State and Arizona to 48 and 51 rushing yards, respectively, as well as collecting a total of nine sacks and 21 TFL between the two games. If San Diego State is able to control the lines against Utah, it will be another tough day for the Utes.

Prediction: Utah 28, SDSU 20