For the final regular season game of this 2019 schedule, the University of Utah welcomes in the Colorado Buffaloes. The Buffs are 5-6 on the season and will be fighting to be bowl eligible on Saturday night. The Utes have their eyes on a bigger prize than just bowl eligibility. A win on Saturday will clinch the Pac-12 South and will keep the Utes in the College Football Playoff discussion. Colorado has struggled this year and at one point lost five conference games in a row but are now coming off of two straight conference wins against Stanford and Washington. The Utes have been cruising throughout the back half of their schedule and will look to do the same against an inferior Colorado team.

This matchup is favorable for the Utes but let’stake a look at the position battles:

Quarterback

Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley did not have any huge numbers last week against Arizona, but he completed 82% of his passes for 211 yards and a touchdown. Huntley has now entered the Heisman conversation and deserves the praise he is receiving. He has a quarterback rating of 187.6 and is completing 75% of his passes this year and only has two interceptions. For the Buffs, Senior quarterback Steven Montez will be making his third career start against the Utes, seeking his first win. Montez has been inconsistent for Colorado all year and has struggled with injuries. Some games he can be considered one of the best quarterbacks in the conference but at other times, he hurts his team more than he helps them. He has thrown 10 interceptions and has had a quarterback rating of 129.3 this year.

Running Backs

Sophomore running back Alex Fontenot has carried the majority of the load in the running game for the Buffs this year and has had a quiet, yet effective year. He averages 4.8 yards per carry and has over 800 yards so far. However, he lacks the big play ability that is needed at running back. This is where Utah running back Zack Moss is so dangerous. He will get five or six yards per carry and then will bust one out for 30-40 yards. Moss has cemented his place as the best running back in Utah history and will need to have a few more historic games to help the Utes in the post season. He leads the Pac-12 in yards per game, yards per carry, as well as touchdowns.

Wide Receivers

Colorado’s receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. has been one of the best receivers in the conference this year and alongside Tony Brown they have put up impressive numbers all season. ShenaultvJr. has 721 yards on 52 catches and Brown has 698 yards on 55 catches. It is also worth noting the performance of K.D. Nixon who has tallied 453 yards, 96 of those coming on one play. These three all have the ability to make big plays and will be a good test for the Utes. These three receivers have outperformed any Utah receiver. However, the Utes have been very efficient by committee and are a threat in the run game as well.

Tight Ends

Utah tight end Brant Kuithe leads the Utes in receiving with 487 yards on the year and 213 of these yards have been from the last two games. He is averaging 18.7 yards per catch and is a mismatch for any defense. On the other side, Colorado tight end Brady Russel has 20 catches for 203 yards this year. He is someone that the Utah defense needs to keep their eyes on, but has not been nearly as productive as Kuithe so far.

Offensive Line

Both teams have done a good job of protecting their quarterback giving up less than two sacks per game but what gives the Utes the edge is the run game. Colorado has a tough matchup against the Utah defensive line, who is only giving up 55 yards per game. It will be crucial for Colorado to establish the run game if they want to have any success on offense. Utah is averaging 215 yards per game on the ground which leads the conference. Colorado’s run defense has not been great this year, giving up close to 150 yards per game which favors the Utah offensive line.

Defensive Line

For the Utes, this group is one of the nation’s best and continues to perform at a high level. Giving up just 55 yards on the ground per game ranks the best in the nation. The Utes have not been as elite at sacking the quarterback, but constantly are pressuring the quarterbacks and are a big reason for the high number of interceptions for the Utah secondary. Colorado’s defensive line played it’s best game of the year last week against Washington. They only gave up 32 yards rushing and totaled five sacks. They were superb last week, but have struggled to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks throughout the year. If they want any chance in this game, the Buffs will need a spectacular performance from this group.

Linebackers

Colorado linebacker Nate Landman is averaging close to 10 tackles per game and is the best defender for the Buffaloes. He is all over the field and is capable of covering in the secondary and has been great at filling holes and stopping the run. It is also worth noting the ability of Davian Taylor, who plays the hybrid position and has the ability of covering sideline to sideline and has 64 tackles so far this year. For the Utes, Francis Bernard and Devin Lloyd have been performing at an elite level and are a great compliment for Utah’s defensive line. They lead the Utes in tackles and have also combined for three interceptions, three pass breakups and three sacks.

Secondary

This group has been the most inconsistent for the Buffs and has been one of the key difference-makers in their five victories this year. They give up 305 yards through the air per game, but have also forced seven interceptions and five forced fumbles. Graduate transfer Mikial Onu has four of these interceptions and also three forced fumbles. He has been dominant throughout the year but there have been three true freshman that have had significant playing time and have given up a lot of yards through the air. For the Utes, it will be the last time that the safeties and corners will be playing at Rice-Eccles. This group, highlighted by Julian Blackmon and Jaylon Johnson have the tough test of slowing down Laviska Shenault Jr. and the Colorado passing attack, but the Utes have not had troubles slowing down any passing game since the USC loss.

Special Teams

This is a toss-up once again because neither team has been able to consistently gain an advantage with their special teams. Both kickers are around 70% on their field goals and each punter averages around 40 yards per punt which is about average in the conference.