Ute fans are going to love his play as well as his off-the-field attitude. He’ll serve an LDS mission first, though…




https://utah.rivals.com/news/what-it-means-andrews-stays-home-to-live-utah-dream

So many injuries. I feel terrible for the hurt players and the team.

I am no QB guru, but it looks to me like Nate Johnson is getting worse. His throws are mostly off target and he looks uncomfortable. Teams don't fear his arm so there are lots of jail break blitzes and Nate has to run for his life. After the Baylor 4th quarter I thought the team had a gamer on the rise and now it looks like a downward spiral. He needed another year to prepare for this.

I hope I am missing something. Someone, anyone, give me a reason to be optimistic.

A Utah mention in this article

https://n.rivals.com/news/recruiting-rumor-mill-another-busy-weekend-in-the-books-3

As great as this coaching staff is, it’s not perfect. Their track record of developing quarterbacks is not good. So thinking out loud, does Utah go after a seasoned quarterback, in the transfer portal in January? If they do, it would say so much about the QB situation at Utah. Cam would be gone, and lacking confidence in Nate Johnson, B. Rose, Bryson Barnes and the incoming freshman Wilson. The coaching staff would feel better with another experience quarterback on the roster entering their first season in the big 12.

This is what I’m expecting when he makes his announcement tomorrow. I expect it to be Utah:

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From Wacky to Weird: The Untold Stories Behind U.S. Sports Team Names​

If you have watched football for any amount of time what happened last night was 100% predictable and shouldn’t have come as any shock to anybody.

Coming into this game Utah was 4-0 in spite of it offense. Take away Weber because well they are Weber and Utah has beaten Florida, Baylor, and UCLA with defense and special teams.

Nate’s first start on the road in a hostile environment against a fired up team with a gigantic chip on there shoulders out to prove they belonged in the conference expansion talk.

Injuries have destroyed continuity or any semblance of a gameplan offensively.

Take the bye week off. Nobody touches a football at all. Just send the whole team for treatment and rehab.

If Cam comes back(which I have my doubts)remember “He’s so close”(no he’s not)and gets healthy they will be fine.

If Cam doesn’t come back Nate will be the QB going forward and Utah will just have to take their lumps with him. He was never meant to be QB1 or 2 this season. Cam is a definite maybe for the rest of the season and I’m hearing Barnes suffered a bruised heart muscle and will be out indefinitely.

Injuries suck

OSU is a good team who’s healthy and well coached. A depleted team is not going into Corvallis and winning.

I was told he was rushed to the hospital. Something potentially with his sternum. Just puts life and sports into perspective. I can’t go any further in-depth. I’ll let the program say more.

Let’s get this thing rollin’…

Connor O’Toole is back tonight, Ja’Quinden Jackson is out. The team is getting healthier. You guys have already been clued in on Rising.

Here’s hoping for a breakout game for Nate tonight. They need just Nate be Nate.

Game balls for this week are a little unique compared to most games:

Credit to the program, they know there’s been justifiable concern on Barnes’ status. They’ve let me know he left with the team and that it’s okay to have out there. No other updates will be given until Whittingham chooses otherwise.

Here’s Cole’s article on a tough road loss:


https://utah.rivals.com/news/takeaways-utah-s-struggles-catch-up-to-them-in-loss

I know…. He’s close. But really? What real difference does a week make. I’ll wage a reasonable sum we don’t see him until Cal. If we don’t see him then not sure we will this year. He does not have the redshirt anymore but is a medical year a possibility? Might be best for the program if that was able to happen in order for Wilson to develop but that’s wishful thinking.

And what’s the deal with Kuithe!? Feels like his time is over. He had a two month head start over Rising and he is vapor right now.

Did Whitt say in his post game that Barnes is in the hospital? I know it’s just a rumor but it’s out there that he has a shattered sternum

Anyone?

It’s tough to give any positives.

Everyone breathe and go to bed, then post in the morning.

It’s made its way through social by now, but Bridges’ date has been moved to October 4th. This takes this season out of the question unless something surprising happens. What is unfortunate about this is that it was a done deal for him to go to Utah if the August date dropped charges. I don’t see that changing anything going forward for 2024. There’s a sense of loyalty there and the two sides talk as much as possible.

Four weeks in a row, the University of Utah has strung together impressive wins despite being heavily shorthanded due to a multitude of injuries.

While currently 4-0 and ranked inside the AP’s top 10, the Utes face perhaps their toughest matchup thus far as they travel to Corvallis on Friday to battle a tough Oregon State Program that's hungry for a win.

Here are the keys to the game:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/keys-and-position-battles-utah-vs-oregon-state

I was going to put this here instead of doing an article being I’m running out of time today:

I know you’ve been asked endlessly about the dire situation Oregon State finds themselves in, so I’ll spare you that. Instead, what will you miss most about the Utah and Oregon State battles?

That’s a great question, and I appreciate not having to dive into the future of the Pac-2

I’ll miss the physicality of games between the Beavers and Utes… There have been some great battles over the years, and it’s always seemed like it’s been a brawl between these two squads.

The series has been a bit one-sided as of late, but I have a ton of respect for Utah and particularly what Kyle Whittingham has done in his tenure. He’s the dean of Pac-12 coaches and I’ll certainly miss some very physical matchups over the years…

It’s a shame that we’re losing so many great matchups in this round of realignment, but who knows, perhaps the Beavers and Utes will find their way back to another…

Is the Oregon State defense as good as their numbers say? Or how inflated are those numbers due to their early opponents?

Another good question… The front seven of the Oregon State defense is legit in my opinion as they’ve got a good blend of depth, talent and experience… The run defense is good again and I don’t think that’s impacted a ton by the opponents…

Moving to the secondary, that’s an area where the Beavers have to make strides… The Beavers lost three key starters from last years’ dynamic and stout secondary and they’re still putting the pieces together this season.

The talent is there, but there have been growing pains and the matchup against WSU was a tough way to start conference play as Cam Ward was able to pick the Beavers apart.

Has DJ Uiagalelei been what Oregon State hoped for and expected? It seemed odd to hear a reporter at the weekly press conference ask about his backup.

It’s been a little bit good and some not so good…

DJ Uiagalelei had really good games against San Jose State and UC Davis, but took a step back these last two weeks against San Diego State and Washington State…

After having no interceptions through the first two games, he has three the last two weeks and the passing attack has been out of sorts. He’s also missed some throws and his completion percentage is lower than expected. It hasn’t quite clicked, and that’s led to some fair critiques of DJ and the passing game.

As far as asking about the backup, that’s because Oregon State fans are very excited about the future of the program in Aidan Chiles.

Chiles has already played in two games this season and has looked quite good for a true freshman… however, I think some of the questions from Beaver fans regarding Chiles is more indicative of the passing game not being where fans expected it to be with DJ at this point.

It’s also worth noting that I don’t believe DJ’s struggles are 100% on him. The pass-blocking has been questionable at times, the receivers haven’t always gotten open, and the playcalling hasn’t been as sharp as it could be.

All that’s to say it’s been up and down for DJ so far, but he’s still the most talented QB the Beavers have had in at least a decade as far as raw skills, the biggest thing with him is consistency…

I’m betting that DJ ultimately gets better as the season goes, but if he struggles against Utah we could hear more chatter about seeing more of Chiles.

Who are the Beavers that Ute fans need to pay attention to? Why?

Offensively, you’ve got to know RB’s Damien Martinez and Deshaun Fenwick, they’re the engines of the OSU offense and will be busy against the Utes.

DJ U is obviously a new name to keep an eye on, along with wide receivers Anthony Gould & Silas Bolden and tight end Jack Velling…

Defensively, James Rawls and Sione Lolohea are a couple of names to watch on the DL, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold is a stout defender in the middle of the linebacking corps, and Jaden Robinson and Ryan Cooper Jr. are solid pieces in the secondary…


If you were devising a game plan to attack Oregon State, how would you go after them both offensively and defensively?

Attacking the OSU defense, Utah must be able to make plays downfield… Like Utah, Oregon State’s defensive strength is in the run defense, so for the Utes to have consistent success offensively, they’re going to need to take some shots downfield… Washington State and QB Cam Ward exposed some weaknesses in the OSU secondary.

Conversely, when the Beavers have the ball, Utah has to look to stop Oregon State’s ground attack with Damien Martinez and Deshaun Fenwick. Everything the Beavers do offensively starts with being able to run the ball with the above duo and if you’re able to limit their production and force them to play through the pass, you’re going to have an advantage.

What’s your prediction for the game? Why?

I’ve gone back and forth with this one, but I like Oregon State in this matchup…

Without QB Cam Rising, Utah will go with Nate Johnson at QB and his skillset and experience favor the strength of OSU’s defense… If Rising goes, the conversation changes, but I'm not confident we see him...

The Beavers' strength on defense is stopping the run, ranking in the top 10 nationally and second in the Pac-12, and that should be greatly beneficial against a Ute squad that, like OSU, sets up everything offensively with the ground game first...

On the flip side, the Beavers will have their work cut out for them offensively against a Utah defense that is potentially the best Kyle Whittingham has ever had in Salt Lake...

Getting the ground game rolling against Utah's top-ranked rush defense in the Pac-12 will be a challenge, but Oregon State's offensive line and Damien Martinez and Deshaun Fenwick should be able to grind out a consistent ground attack.

If the Beavers can find daylight on the ground, and DJ Uiagalelei hits some throws he missed last week, OSU should be able to find the endzone, even against this stout Utah defense.

Additionally, the Beavers will benefit from easily the best atmosphere at Reser Stadium this season as the students are back on campus…

Oregon State 27, Utah 24

TE Brock Harris, who is in the Top 25 for the class of 2026. He’s one of the best HS players this state has seen in years.

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Timpview QB Helaman Casuga will also be at the game. Rivals has yet to give him a rating, but he’ll be a coveted recruit, as well.

American Fork safety Davis Andrews will be announcing between Utah and Notre Dame on Monday. As of right now, it’s a toss up. I’ll have more for you guys when I can.

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Halie reviews questions going into the UCLA game last week and looks at the Friday night road matchup with Oregon State:

Alright, let's see what Vegas thinks about this week so far. First, the Pac-12:

#10 Utah +3 @ #19 OSU. Utah is a dog for the first time this year, but this basically is all OSU's home field. Total is 44.5, so 23-20 is the expected score.
#9 Oregon -27 @ Stanford. Stanford is bad. Total is 61, so expected score is 44-17
#7 UW -17.5 @ Arizona. Arizona is not as bad as Stanford, but still not good. Total is 69.5, so expected final is 44-26.
ASU +12 @ Cal. ASU is bad. Total is 50.5, so expected final is 31-19.
#8 USC -21.5 @ CU. CU is bad (worse than Arizona? Vegas thinks so). Total is 73.5, so Vegas isn't expecting anyone to play defense. Expected score is 48-26.
#16 WSU. Bye
UCLA. Bye

Then the rest of the top 12:

#1 UGA -14.5 @ Auburn. Auburn might be okay, only 2-TD dogs. Total is 47, so expected score is 31-16.
#2 Michigan -18 @ Nebraska. Nebraska lost to CU by more than this, take Michigan. Total is 41, so expected score is 30-11.
#24 Kansas +17 @ #3 Texas. Texas at home will certainly put BYU's ranked loss off the board again. Total is 62, so expected final is 40-23.
#4 OSU. Bye
#5 FSU. Bye
#6 PSU -26.5 @ Northwestern. Northwestern is bad. Total is 46, so expected score is 36-9
#11 ND -5.5 @ #17 Duke. Duke actually isn't terrible, undefeated and giving up only 9 ppg against Clemson, Lafayette, NW, and UCONN. ND could lose this one on the road after a tough, emotional loss to OSU. Total is 50.5, so expected final is 28-23
#12 Bama -14.5 @ MS ST. Bama may have slipped a notch, but they're still a very good team, which is why they're favored by 2 TD on the road. Total is 48.5, so expected final is 32-17

Wow, that's a lot of top 12 teams on the road. In fact, the top 15 has only 2 teams playing at home, both in the Big 12: #3 Texas against #24 Kansas and #14 Oklahoma against ISU. Here's the rest of the Big 12 (in rank/standings order):

ISU +20 @ #14 Oklahoma. ISU has reverted to their norm, which is terrible. Total is 49, so expected final is 35-15
KSU. Bye
WVU +11 @ TCU. WVU and TCU are both 1-0 in the Big 12, but WVU is not good, with their only win over a bad TTech team. Total is 51, so expected final is 31-20
Cincy +2.5 @ BYU. Both teams are 0-1 in the Big 12, with BYU getting essentially the home field advantage here. Cincy has played the tougher schedule, beating Pitt on the road, but losing to Miami (OH) and Oklahoma. Total is 50, so expected score is 27-24.
Houston +9 @ TTech. Houston is bad, getting blown out by TCU and losing to Rice for a 2-2 start, although they destroyed the Sam Houston team that BYU only beat by 14. Total is 54, so expected score is 31-22.
Baylor +13 @ UCF. Baylor... might be bad. Texas beat them by 32, TX ST beat them by 11, and we beat them by 7. Their only win is Long Island, and this is their first road game. UCF is 3-1 on a cupcake schedule, but at least they're mostly winning. Total is 56, so expected score is 35-22.
OKST. Bye


Utah not the lowest total this week, with MSU/Iowa at 36.5. Not even the lowest in the top 12, with MI/Nebraska at 41.

Here’s Dustin’s look at what Oregon Staye lost from last year and what the return from a PFF standpoint:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/inside-the-numbers-oregon-state-3

Matt breaks down the Beavers in what should be another tough matchup for Utah: