Utah Football Takes on Stanford in Final Home Game of 2022

University+of+Utah+sophomore+and+wide+receiver+DeVaughn+Vele+making+a+catch+against+USC+at+Rice-Eccles+Stadium+in+Salt+Lake+City+on+Saturday%2C+Oct.+15%2C+2022.

Jonathan Wang

University of Utah sophomore and wide receiver DeVaughn Vele making a catch against USC at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. (Photo by Jonathan Wang | The Daily Utah Chronicle)

By Ethan Pearce, Sports Editor

 

The University of Utah football team will take on the Stanford Cardinal Saturday evening for their final home game of the season. Utah has three games left in their regular season. This will be Senior Night and the Utes will honor their players who are moving on following the season.

The Utes are coming off a dominant win over Arizona at home that brought their win streak to three in a row. This game against Stanford sets the table for a massive matchup next weekend at Oregon, which will likely decide who represents the conference in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Stanford is currently struggling big time, with two recent losses to UCLA and Washington State by a combined score of 90-27. They are 1-6 in conference play, but do have a big win over No. 20 Notre Dame, which shows they’re capable of pulling off an upset.

Despite a rough year for the rest of the team, quarterback Tanner McKee has put together a great season to get himself on the NFL radar. The Cardinal don’t have a ton of talent to prop him up, but McKee is a threat whenever he’s on the field.

For the Utes, the focus should be on getting out of this week healthy and ready for the Oregon game. This weekend could be considered a typical trap game, with a huge, season-defining game coming up. Utah shouldn’t overlook Stanford here. They should be able to win handily if they stick to their game plan from the past few weeks and play their brand of football.

Dalton Kincaid, Jaylon Glover, Ja’Quinden Jackson and Cameron Rising have all been banged up over the past few weeks. Time will tell who plays on Saturday, but the priority should be getting all of their key players healthy for Oregon.

With just three games left in the year, things are getting tight, and no one can afford a loss. The Utes need to take care of business at home, send off their seniors the right way, and prepare for the stretch run of what has so far been a roller coaster of a season.

The Utes will kick off against Stanford on ESPN at 8 p.m. MST on Saturday night.

 

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