The college football world’s focus will be centered on Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the U sets to give Texas Tech a warm welcome on Saturday, Sept. 20.
With kickoff set for 10:00 a.m. MDT, Utah won’t be competing for views with any other major networks. Knowing this, Fox was quick to jump in and purchase the rights to the broadcast. Not only will the game be streaming with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt on the call, but they will be bringing their famous early morning show, Big Noon Kickoff, to campus.
With this caliber of spotlight pointed at Utah, the Utes have a tremendous opportunity to put themselves on a lot of people’s radars. The matchup between two top 17 teams provides upside for both programs, as the winning team’s resumé and ranking will undoubtedly receive a boost.
Who to watch for
Utah and Texas Tech built their rosters in very different ways. While Utah relied on culture and promise to bolster its lineup, Texas Tech went shopping. Depending on the source, it can be determined that the Red Raiders spent somewhere in the ballpark of $25 million on their 2025 roster. A major chunk of this change was spent on the defensive line.
How to assess if this was money well spent? Watch the battle of the trenches. Tech’s top three–ranked defensive line vs. Utah’s second-ranked offensive line is must-watch action for any football fan who appreciates some old-fashioned bully ball.
Look for Utah’s offensive tackles, Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu. Both players have gained the attention of NFL scouts and are currently projected to be drafted in the top 20 in the 2026 NFL draft. Rounding out the offensive line for the Utes in the middle are Michael Mokofisi, Jaren Kump and Tanoa Togiai. Each of these players has experience against strong defensive fronts, which will likely be needed against Texas Tech’s highly rated unit.
Texas Tech’s head coach, Joey McGuire, brought in four new starters on his defensive line from the transfer portal. David Bailey (Stanford), Romello Height (Georgia Tech), Lee Hunter (UCF) and Skyler Gill-Howard (Northern Illinois) make up the group that has combined for six sacks so far this season.
Quarterback play
Utah and Texas Tech have each had phenomenal quarterback play thus far in 2025. Behren Morton leads the way for the Red Raiders. The 6-foot-2 senior has thrown for 923 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception this season. While these statistics can be eye-opening through three weeks, his competition hasn’t been impressive.
When taking a deeper dive into Morton’s splits, football fans can begin to understand why the Eastland, Texas, native hasn’t gotten attention in past seasons. Morton struggles when he’s under fire. His passing grade when playing at home: 80.4. When playing on the road: 59.0. The problems don’t end here for Morton. When being pressured by the defense, Morton’s passer rating drops from a strong 86.3 grade down to a poor 35.5. Expect Morgan Scalley to scheme up all sorts of blitzes and defensive looks to make Morton uncomfortable in an unfamiliar environment.
Devon Dampier is prepared to play in the biggest game of his life. “I’m feeling pumped. I think we’ve had a great three weeks just playing football together. I think our family team is just getting closer by the week. So to be on national television, I think we earned that, and I think we’re ready for it for sure,” Dampier said in a Sept. 16 interview with 247 Sports.
The junior from Phoenix, Arizona, was sacked four times throughout the entirety of his 2024 campaign at New Mexico. Dampier’s ability to orchestrate the offense from inside the pocket is one-of-a-kind. His awareness and agility will have to be firing on all cylinders if he hopes to stay upright against the powerful defense that Texas Tech possesses.
McDonald’s won’t be serving lunch yet, but Utah fans will be ready to go for the 10:00 kickoff Saturday morning. Be early and be loud, Ute fans. This may be the biggest game of the season for the U.
My prediction: Utah – 35 Texas Tech – 20
