There’s no sugar coating it: Idaho State is a terrible team.
The Bengals have not beaten an FBS team since 2000 or won a game on the road since 2006. That’s 44 straight games away from their home field that they have lost. There is no reason to believe this Idaho State squad will beat the Utes tonight.
Now, this isn’t going to be a column where I boldly claim that the Bengals will take down Utah in the season opener, but I do believe the Utes are a little nervous starting the 2014 campaign. At the end of this game, no one would even know it, as I predict Utah to come out on top by a large margin, but until they get that first touchdown of the season, Kyle Whittingham and Co. will be holding their breath.
Everyone knows the quarterback battle is still ongoing. Sure, the coaches have named the more experienced signal caller, Travis Wilson, as the starter over intriguing talent Kendal Thompson, but the race is far from over. I see both of these quarterbacks getting plenty of chances to prove themselves in this game.
Idaho State is so bad that both of these guys will excel against an inferior defense, therefore forcing more wrenches into the question of, “who should start?”
Now, I understand the concept of teams not “overlooking” any opponent, giving each enemy the respect they deserve despite the record or ranking. On top of that, this is the season opener. Every Utah fan wants to see this Ute squad come out and dominate from start to finish, which will probably happen.
However, the team cut off all media access to practices this week, and for what? Because they need to focus on the opponent? Prepare themselves for a tough game against Idaho State?
Now, I’m all for our beloved Utes preparing and having “razor-thin focus” for any game they play, but something tells me they are a little more worried than they should be for this Bengals team. I mean, Utah has made a lot of changes this offseason, from coaches to position changes with the players, and maybe it is just worried the new system won’t pan out.
In the end, none of this will matter. You can bank on Utah absolutely destroying this Idaho State team and in good fashion, too. The offense will explode and the defense will be intimidating, giving fans and media alike more substance to hype the 2014 Utah squad.
I expect to see Travis Wilson throw for at least 200 yards through the air, while only playing a half, the Bubba Poole, DeVontae Booker and Troy McCormick trio running circles around the Bengal defense, and Dres Anderson and Kenneth Scott making the Idaho State secondary look silly.
Like I previously stated, there is no reason to believe this Bengal team will come into Rice-Eccles Stadium and pull off an upset, but just know that the Utes are aware of how important this season is, and it all starts with this game.
@GriffDoug