Excerpts from the Oregonian article (which seems to be paywalled):
The Utes rebounded from a 1-2 start with Baylor transfer Charlie Brewer at quarterback to win a Pac-12 Conference South title with Cameron Rising taking over for the last nine games.
Utah is every bit the physically dominant team that thrashed Oregon on Nov. 20. The Utes have a great offensive line to open lanes for the running game and protect Rising, and their tight ends make the offense go. Their front seven is probably the best in the Pac-12, certainly at the linebacker position.
Kyle Whittingham is probably the front-runner for Pac-12 coach of the year.
Impact player: QB Cameron Rising
Rising’s 17-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio is outrageous — only three quarterbacks in the country are better. He’s not going to stretch the field vertically, but that’s not how Utah is built anyway. Rising gets the ball to his tight ends, receivers and running backs and lets them do the work.
Impact player: TE Brant Kuithe
Kuithe has 43 catches for 522 yards and six scores and a rushing touchdown. Few players have had better showings against Oregon in their careers than Kuithe.
Impact player: ILB Devin Lloyd
Lloyd is a constant playmaker. He has 99 tackles with 22 for loss, including eight sacks, three interceptions and six pass breakups. Even with a mere six tackles and one for loss against Oregon, he had a big impact on the game.
Impact player: LB Nephi Sewell
If Lloyd isn’t making the stop again the run, Sewell is. Overlooked in the Pac-12 but having a tremendous season.
Did you know?
- Utah has averaged 218.2 rushing yards per game in the last six games, while holding opponents to 119.5 yards on the ground.
- Utah is one of six Power Five teams and the only one in the Pac-12 ranked in the top 30 in scoring offense and scoring defense.
- The Pac-12 North is 9-1 in the conference championship game.
- Of the six rematches to occur in Pac-12 Championship games, five have been won by the regular season winner. The lone exception was Oregon in 2014 against Arizona.
Threat level (1 lowest to 5 highest): 5
Utah thoroughly handled Oregon just 13 days before this rematch and it’s hard to forecast a total reversal in such a short span. Once the game got away from the Ducks, there was no turning back and certain circumstantial aspects of the first meeting, specifically not establishing the run early, can be corrected in a rematch. But Utah’s line play was superb. Its tight ends gave Oregon fits. The Utes aren’t going to forget who they are or what got them to this point and suddenly run four- and five-wide receivers on the field. Oregon lost every facet of the game in Salt Lake City, so improvement alone won’t be enough to get redemption.