The game that we have all been waiting for is finally here. The Utes will travel to Santa Clara to face the Oregon Ducks for the Pac-12 championship. These two teams have been at the top of the conference for the majority of the year and are the clear cut top teams in their respected divisions. This matchup will be a physical game and ever since Mario Cristobal was hired as the Oregon head coach he has tried to have his team play more physical, “blue-collar” football. The Utes and the Ducks have very similar statistics in regards to points scored, points given up, total yards and yards given up. This is the toughest matchup that both teams have had this year and it comes on the biggest stage. Let’s take a look at the position battles for each team.
Quarterback
This is a tough matchup featuring the two best quarterbacks in the conference. But, Huntley has the hotter hand as of late and has been more consistent throughout the year. Specifically during Oregon’s loss to Arizona State a few weeks ago, Herbert had a season low completion percentage of just 55% and he also threw two interceptions. He has thrown for 3,140 yards on the year for 31 touchdowns and will likely be a better draft prospect than Huntley but going into this game, Huntley gets the nod. Tyler is second behind Joe Burrow in completion percentage at 74.9% and boasts a QBR of 87.5 compared to Herbert’s 74.3.
Running Back
Utah’s running back, Zack Moss, has gained even more distance between him and the rest of the backs in the Pac-12 as of late. He averages 17 more yards per game and has three more rushing touchdowns than anyone else. He is averaging a whopping 6.2 yards per carry and 113 yards per game. He is healthy and it seems that the playbook keeps opening up in his favor each week. Moss is the clear favorite in this matchup but CJ Verdell can not be taken lightly. However, he has not been very consistent this year. Against Washington State and Colorado he had 257 yards and 171 yards respectively but has not rushed for more than 100 yards in any other game. He averages 5.9 yards per carry but has not had a rush over 13 yards in over a month.
Wide Receiver
One of the players to watch in this matchup is Juwan Johnson from Oregon. He is 6’4” and 231 lbs. In Utah’s only loss against USC they struggled to defend the bigger receivers from the Trojans. This could create a matchup issue for Utah. Johnny Johnson III and Jaylon Redd also have 49 and 47 receptions each and have combined for 13 touchdowns this year. The Utah secondary will have their hands full. For the Utes, their receivers have been efficient and have improved each week but the playmaking ability of the Ducks outshines the efficiency of the Utes.
Tight End
Brant Kuithe won Pac-12 offensive player of the week after his three touchdown performance against Colorado. He had three catches for 63 yards and two touchdowns and then two rushes for 59 yards and a touchdown. He has accounted for 276 receiving yards in the last three weeks and has emerged as the best tight end in the Pac-12. Oregon lost their best tight end, Jacob Breeland to an injury this year. Since his injury, Seth Webb has stepped up in his place and the freshman has accounted for 209 yards and three touchdowns. The Ducks love to use their tight ends, and the loss of Breeland hurt them early on.
Offensive Line
It is not a joke when saying that all five starters for the Ducks could find themselves on an NFL roster in the near future. Penei Sewell, a Utah native, has been the most impressive out of this group and is arguably the best offensive tackle in the nation. Sewell has only allowed six pressures all year long and his teammate Shane Lemieux has only allowed 14. They average about 179 yards per game on the ground but have also given up almost two sacks per game. For the Utes, their offensive line struggled to get going against Colorado. They only gave up two sacks but there were multiple times where Tyler Huntley just had to duck his head and get as many yards as he could. They will have to improve in this category to have success on Friday night.
Defensive Line
Last Saturday against Colorado, Utah accounted for five sacks and only gave up 60 yards on the ground. In 11 of the 12 games they have played, Utah has allowed less than 100 rushing yards. However, they have yet to face an offensive line that compares to that of Oregon. The best matchup of this game will be defensive end Bradlee Anae vs Penei Sewell. It will be crucial for Utah to win this matchup and get some pressure on Herbert. On the other side, the Ducks have accounted for 35 sacks on the year and allow just a little more than 100 yards on the ground. To stop this Utah offense, they will need to make it a point to hold Zack Moss under 100 yards. Look out for Kayvon Thibodeaux who is a freshman and has had 6.5 sacks already in his first season.
Linebacker
Troy Dye for Oregon leads this Oregon defense and is one of the best defenders in the conference. He has the ability to defend the pass has also recorded 26 pressures on the opposing quarterback. Also look out for Mase Funa who has four sacks on the year. Dye and Francis Bernard are the two best linebackers in the conference but what gives this edge to the Utes is Devin Lloyd. He is just a step behind Dye and Bernard but leads the Utes in tackles and has recorded 4.5 sacks on the year.
Secondary
Both teams have ball hawks all over their defensive secondary. Oregon has 17 interceptions on the year and Utah has 13. Utah allows 185 yards per game through the air and Oregon allows 225. Jevon Holland (4 interceptions and 4 pass breakups), Thomas Graham Jr. (1 interception and 8 pass breakups), and Verone McKinley III (4 interceptions and 3 pass breakups) are all names to remember for the Ducks. Julian Blackmon and Jaylon Johnson lead this group for the Utes and will both be early round draft picks in the spring. But, this group will face their biggest test since the USC game where they struggled against the deep ball. However, weather could be a factor in this game, forcing both teams to refrain from relying on the pass.
Special Teams
Utah kicker Jaydon Redding has been quietly consistent in the back half of the season for the Utes. He has yet to miss an extra point and is 9/12 on field goals. Also, two punt returns from Julian Blackmon and Demari Simpkins gave the Utes a big spark against Colorado last week, a spark that has been lacking all year. The Duck’s kicker, Camden Lewis, has struggled all year only making six of his 11 attempts with four of these missed coming inside of 30 yards. But, Jevon Holland is dangerous in the return game and averages 15.9 yards per return.
