It’s probably just my (lifelong) version of Utah Football PTSD, but no matter how positive I’ve felt over the last 3 or 4 weeks about this years team, and no matter how much I remind myself that I wasn’t expecting a win against Oregon, when Utah pulled off the 62-20 beatdown a few years ago, I have a nagging knot in my stomach, that feels more like the percentages should be reversed.
Probably that and some degree of subconscious recency bias from the 2019 CCG.
In any case, I keep telling myself “this one is ours”, but so far I don’t seem to be buying what I’m selling.
I’m 100% with you on that. I think we’re good this year, but I don’t think we’re “62% chance to beat the #3 team in the country” good yet. I’m also sure that Oregon is going to use all this chatter about Utah as motivation. Yes, we’re playing for the Rose Bowl…but they’re playing for a spot in the CFB.
While I think we can hang with them, they’re a really good team. They’ve had a couple similar let-downs against inferior teams, but Cristobal will have them ready for this one for sure.
@salUTE
Yup. I saw that number and a pit opened in my stomach. I think this Utah team can definitely win this game, but I wouldn’t put my confidence at 60%.
Brown reminds me a little of Mariota. He’s elusive and fast. He’s tough to bring down. Contain Anthony Brown is the key to this game. Dye will get his 120+, whatever. But keep Brown under 40. Won’t be easy.
My own personal FPI is the inverse of ESPN’s. Always the long-suffering Ute fan. But after what they did to us in the 2019 championship game, I’ll be the embodiment of this until we beat them again
My biggest fear for this game, is the current QBs similarity to Mariota, and more so the memory of the 2019 CCG Oregon QB, running all over Utah. If I knew we were able to stop the QB run game, I’d be 50+% percent confident in Utah. I guess I have to trust that Whitt and Scalley are at least as worried as I am and therefore prepared.
I don’t think Oregon’s QB ran all over Utah in 2019. It was running back CJ Verdell who did that to the tune of 200-plus yards. If I recall, coming into that game no team had rushed for more than 100 yards in a game against Utah, and Verdell did that 2x himself.
Fair enough… I have not actually watched a replay of that game as it would have been too painful given my level of expectation for the Utes that evening.
If I do go back and watch, I’ll probably find that there were some small number of critical plays, when Utah was prepared for everything else, that the QB run broke our backs.
I’m so excited and nervous for tomorrow. I hope to just enjoy the game amd moderate the ups and downs, but the next 38 hours are going to he interesting.
If he’s injured, he’s injured. Pledger and Bernard time. But we may want to rely on the pass more anyway. Would he nice to have him. Hope he’s his best self in CCG.
The deck will be stacked against us today, but I still believe we can win this game.
Screw the pundits who keep saying we can back our way into a Rose Bowl. I hope we win out, go to the Rose Bowl as the PAC 12 Champions, and win the Rose Bowl. It’s all about the hardware in front of us, not the “games” we can be considered for.
Win it all and let God sort it out. One thing is for certain, if we do win out and bring home a PAC 12 Championship and a Rose Bowl Trophy, we will have two more selling points for recruits to consider.
I’m at a family event at Little America. Three Oregon fans in full gear (before 9:00 a.m.) just walked in. My blood is up! My Utes fan PTSD is waning and I am getting excited for the game. Help! Please hold a thought for me as I work through this day…