On Saturday night, a showdown between Pac-12 gunslingers will unfold at Rice-Eccles Stadium as the Utes take on the Oregon State Beavers. Utah quarterback Travis Wilson and Oregon State play-caller Sean Mannion will face off in a matchup that promises to be a showcase of offensive firepower, which will be a dramatic departure from last year’s contest between the two teams.
In the game a year ago, Wilson was making his second start for the Utes and struggled. He connected on 15-of-28 pass attempts for 172 yards with a pick and a touchdown. Oregon State’s guy was not much better. The Beavers started Cody Vaz, who went 16-of-26 for 174 yards with no touchdowns.
Despite the fact that the quarterback play was equally meager between the two teams, OSU got the win 21-7. The Beavers had turnovers to thank for that. Utah out-gained Oregon State 307 to 226 and kept possession longer but coughed up the ball three times.
“I didn’t make my opportunities count in that game,” Wilson said. “I think it was just me being a little nervous and just being unsure of where to go with the ball, too. I have a great sense of how our offense is this year.”
Wilson has been putting his great sense of the offense on prominent display thus far in 2013. He’s averaging 283 yards per game through the air and has a 202.2 passer efficiency rating.
Oregon State’s quarterback is putting up big numbers too, however. Mannion will be starting Saturday’s game after overtaking Vaz on the Beavers’ depth chart. Mannion has already amassed 794 yards of passing with a 181.2 passer rating.
Despite his adversary’s prowess, Wilson is confident he’ll have a solid performance by relying on the players around him.
“I’ve grown a lot in the passing game. I definitely have a lot of faith in my O-line in front of me,” he said. “I have great faith in my wide receivers around me, too. I know once I get the ball in their hands they’ll make big plays.”
Dres Anderson is one Ute receiver who is hoping to have a bigger impact on this year’s meeting with OSU. Last year he had no receptions with a mere 10 yards on the ground over three rushes. So far this season, Anderson has proven that he has grown along with Wilson to become a legitimate threat. Against Weber State, he had 103 yards and a score, his second of the season.
“In the past we never had those explosive plays. We had like grinder series. It’s good to just have a couple plays and go up top,” Anderson said. “Explosive plays is what [coaches] want out of me, and so that’s what I’m gonna try to get.”
Anderson expects to show the crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium more of the same offensive production it has seen thus far in 2013 as Utah will try to win its first Pac-12 season opener since joining the conference.
“We have gotta make sure we take advantage of all these home games,” Anderson said. “Starting well in Pac-12 play is something we haven’t done in the past couple years. It’d be great to, you know, get a win.”