The Great Debate |
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Does Utah stand a chance against Stanford? |
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Stanford’s confidence will best Utes |
Home field gives Utah advantage |
 When the Stanford Cardinal comes to Salt Lake City this Saturday, there won’t be any big surprises. As much as Utah fans hope for an upset, the truth is that these two teams are in very different places in terms of performance.This season has revealed itself as another growing year for the Utes, which is accompanied by growing pains. Although sophomore quarterback Travis Wilson has breathed new life into a Utah offense that struggled last season, his nine interceptions through five games show he still has room to mature. The Utes’ offense has certainly shown flashes of greatness thus far, but it lacks consistency. Wilson has had moments where his strength as a runner combined with his precision passing make him almost unstoppable. At other times, however, Utah’s offense has stalled for long periods, like in the third quarter against UCLA. Those long offensive droughts have proved to be very costly in both of the Utes’ Pac-12 losses thus far and will be costly again on Saturday. A lack of consistency is one problem Stanford doesn’t have. While not a high-scoring offensive threat like Oregon, the Cardinal simply don’t make mistakes. Stanford isn’t particularly impressive in any one offensive stat, but they do have one of the nation’s most balanced attacks, averaging 197 yards passing and 210.2 yards on the ground per game. The Cardinal are also plus one in turnover margin and have converted just over 50 percent of their third downs, two areas in which Utah has struggled mightily. Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan is completing 62.6 percent of his passes and has found a favorite target in talented wide receiver Ty Montgomery. Hogan and Montgomery will expose the holes in a secondary that has improved during this season, but is still the Utes’ biggest liability on defense. Montgomery is also an elusive kick returner. After returning the opening kick 99 yards for a touchdown against Washington, Montgomery finished the game with 290 all-purpose yards. The Utes will have no answer for Montgomery, and he will have a huge game. Similar to their offense, the Cardinal defense isn’t flashy but gets the job done without mistakes. Although they rank sixth in the Pac-12 for points allowed, they are well known for their physicality. In last week’s 31-28 win against No. 15 Washington, Stanford recorded five sacks and 11 tackles for loss. This game will be the season’s biggest test for the Ute offensive line, and Wilson will be more pressured than he has been all year. Still, Utah’s O-line is a talented and deep group, and they will do fairly good job of protecting Wilson. Statistically, Utah and Stanford match up closely in a lot of ways. Wilson and Hogan have almost identical stat lines as quarterbacks — minus a few extra interceptions by Wilson — and both teams are known for very tough, physical lineman on both sides of the ball. There is however, one glaring difference. The Cardinal know they can beat anyone they play. They know they are one of the best teams not only in the Pac-12 but also in the nation. That confidence coupled with textbook execution are the reasons Stanford is currently undefeated and sits atop the Pac-12 North rankings. The Utes are still finding their identity as members of the Pac-12 and lack the confidence that they can beat the best — and make no mistake, Stanford is among the best. Both teams will play well this Saturday, but the Cardinal will continue to grind when Utah slows down in the second half, and come out on top 34-21. |
 This weekend, the big boys are coming to town when Stanford visits Rice-Eccles Stadium for a much anticipated matchup — at least for Utah fans.On paper, this is a pretty easy pick. Stanford is clearly the better team, as they boast the No. 5 ranking in the nation. Quite frankly, this team just does not lose. Every loss they have had in the past 4 years has been to very good teams. So I should be saying that Utah will be suffering another heartbreaking loss to the hands of the Cardinal, right? Wrong. It seems to be the same story with our Utes. They can never win the big game, or any respectable Pac-12 game for that matter. Last year, it was USC. Utah jumped out on top early then crumbled in the second half. This year it was UCLA. Utah made a furious comeback, only to throw it away in the last minute. There have been a multitude of games in the past where Utah came close but lost in the end. Games such as the matchup with Arizona last year and Oregon State this year. While these are all games that fans wish Utah would’ve won, there is reason for optimism after these close losses. The first two years in the Pac-12, the Utes struggled to compete against the tough matchups in their new conference. They were getting blown out of games and just looked bad. Fast forward to this year. That’s no longer the case. Utah welcomed Oregon State to Salt Lake City for their first Pac-12 game of 2013. The game was a thriller. It went into overtime, where the Utes lost 51-48. Despite the loss, though, the team looked good and was primed to win the game. A couple weeks later, against UCLA, Utah had many chances to win the game. The Utes have been competitive in games this year, and I firmly believe they will be competitive in this Stanford game as well. Another factor that will play into this game is obviously the home-field advantage. Utah is clearly a better team when they play in Salt Lake City. You can pin that on a number of things, such as the altitude or the frigid weather. But I am going to give credit to the MUSS and the rest of the fans. Rice-Eccles Stadium may not be the biggest venue in the country, but it can easily be one of the loudest. When the MUSS is filled to capacity — which it will be for the Stanford game — it is very hard for any opposing offense to operate. From the miscommunication between players to all the false starts the raucous section causes, it has been nasty all season long. This weekend, I expect it to be louder and rowdier than ever before. What I am trying to say is that Utah has been there. They have had the chances to win big games — they just need to seize the opportunity. They are way overdue for not only a win, but a big win against a big team. Come on, Utah fans. Let’s jump on board, support team and believe in the Utes to win this game. #SHOCKSTANFORD |
Great Debate: Does Utah stand a chance against Stanford?
October 8, 2013