Seems like there will be allot of movement this week
Line has already moved to -13.5
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Wow, that line moved fast. And FPI is high on Utah as well, which is weird.
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Please don’t let the team see this -13.5 line.
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This never bodes well. Especially considering our history against ASU.
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I know ASU has been a thorn in our collective side, but I think this year we get the win. And I don’t think it’s that close. Their last two games have been decent wins, but they have yet to go up against a defense like Utah’s. They are playing a freshman QB, and I think he is going to struggle under the pressure (and the home crowd). They have some good players, no doubt, but we have a great run defense, and the secondary has really stepped up the last two games.
This one goes to the Utes.
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As always, I will believe it when I see it.
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I watched the ASU game and we really do look like the hands down better team. And we’re playing at home which is a big difference. Nonetheless I see zero room for cockiness in any game against ASU ever. While true for all the PAC-12…something about ASU gets in our heads. So hope that the blow out of OSU is forgotten and the players are 100% dialed into defeating this hated rival.
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I believe we win, but would I bet that line? Probably not.
Utah by 5.
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I absolutely agree. I hoped to convey confidence, not cockiness, but there is often a fine line. As you said, I hope the players put Oregon State behind them and remain focused on the task at hand.
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In both of the last 2 seasons, our game against ASU has arguably been our worst performance of the season.
In 2017 I made a rare decision to let my dad have my ticket so he could take a long-time friend visiting from out of town to the game, and wasn’t sorry at all for missing that mess.
Hopefully we’ll correct that this Saturday.
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Hands down better…I love to hear that! It’s true that we are a young team, but we always seem to be at the top of our game against the Utes. If we beat you this year, it’s going to be a long haul for you utes before you have a win against us. Let’s hope for a great game and ZERO injuries. Go Devils!
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Several of their recent wins have been close, last minute victories.
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Welcome Jesse
May the best team win
May they play like sportsmen
Go UTES!
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Yeah, neither of ASU’s last two wins were blowouts. I just meant that Wazzou and Cal are decent (not great) teams.
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The key, as with most games, will be the lines. ASU has really good (though young) skill players. But from what I’ve seen they have issues on the line, whether experience or talent. That’s why so many of their games are close, they have to outscore the opponent. Cal lost their QB in that game so they couldn’t take advantage of their defensive play (losing key players against them seems to be a theme). All said they have three players we need to contain, Benjamin, Aiuyk and Daniels. We should be able to scheme to control them.
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My thoughts exactly. We’ve been strong stopping the run, and I think we will get a lot of pressure on Daniels. I think he will make mistakes.
Everything about this game on paper indicates that Utah should win. Utah is at home with an excellent defense and efficient offense.
Herm Edwards and Danny Gonzalez have shown a willingness to alter their defense to their opponent, and since Herm took over, ASU has not seen the blow outs that occurred with regularity under the old staff.
Edwards is a defensive coach and Danny Gonzalez has managed to get his players to match the physicality of their opponents. He did it last year with Michigan State and Utah. He has done it this year with Michigan State and California. The teams that have given ASU the most issues have not been the real physical teams, but the spread them out passing attacks. Don’t get me wrong, I expect Utah’s run game will give ASU serious issues. But look for the ASU defense to some how or another keep it from being a blow out. Herm just wants to keep it within striking distance come the fourth quarter.
Edwards will come up with a fairly conservative game plan that keeps his young QB from being placed in really bad situations. I expect to see a lot of quick short passes with an emphasis on ball control. While ASU will try to run ball, realistically, I don’t see them moving it much on the ground in the first half. Maybe in the fourth quarter. Also, I would not expect that the Utah defense, despite how good they are, will be given a lot of opportunities to hammer Daniels. Edwards has smartly kept the young QB out of harms way so far. He is not going to hang the kid out to dry on Saturday. If you are thinking that sounds a bit boring, I would agree, but that is how Herm runs things.
Edwards is just going to try to keep the game manageable going into the fourth quarter. If the game is competitive in the fourth, he will open the offense up a bit at that time. Edwards has a completely different personality then Whit, but when you get down to brass tacks, they both are similar in their approach to the game.
FYI, Edwards and AD Anderson indicated pre-season that the success of this year’s team will not be judged by wins and losses. While he always plays to win, this year from the start was seen as a foundation building year. He is playing 21 freshmen. The secondary and line backers are young but have huge upside. The offensive line has two freshmen. He opted to invest in the future and play the young guys now. Basically learn on the job this year, and kick some ass next year.
Regardless of the score, I expect a really physical game upfront. Danny Gonzelez will take Utah’s physicality as a challenge. Michigan State’s lines did not kill us despite our offensive line being a real mess, Defensively we are not big, but the scheme fills the gaps. I expect much of the same with Utah. I just think Utah has a much better offense than Michigan State. The saving grace for ASU is that ASU’s offense has gotten much better over the course of the season. That being said, I am not expecting to see ASU move the ball a whole lot. If ASU is going to hang in there, they need a turnover or two and they need to keep the score down.
It would not surprise me to see Utah dominate early, but I also would not be surprised to see ASU still in the game come the fourth quarter. Should be interesting.
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Utes have consistently been hurt by scrambling QB’s in recent years. It’s a natural consequence of playing M2M defense in the secondary. Daniels reminds me of Huntley as a freshman. He can run. He pulls the ball down quickly and takes off. I expect him to make some plays with his feet that will hurt the Utes. This game will be a struggle.
Yeah, I would never bet against my team, but if it was anybody else I would definitely take ASU with that spread.
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