The last time the Utah football team was ranked No. 13 in the country and facing a Pac-12 opponent in the top six … things did not go particularly well.
Now that those same set of circumstances have arisen again, the Utes can only hope that Saturday’s matchup with Washington turns out better than their game against Oregon did.
Additional similarities, however, paint a difficult picture for Utah.
“We’ve got a big challenge this week on the road against the No. 5 team in the country. And we’ve got to be at our best,” said Utes coach Kyle Whittingham. “We can’t just play good, we’ve got to play great. That’s what it’s going to take.”
Utah’s players and coaches may claim that their 35-6 demolition at the hands of the Ducks is irrelevant to this weekend’s affair in Seattle, but the overlap in Oregon’s and Washington’s skillsets is impossible to ignore.
Going into this weekend, Oregon ranks second nationally in total yardage (538.7) while Washington is fourth (509.1). The Huskies are first in passing offense (383.1), while the Ducks are fourth (330.6). Oregon is first in scoring offense (47.4), while Washington is fourth (41.7).
Yes, the Utes enter this game ranked 10th nationally in total defense (282.3) and tied for ninth in scoring defense (15.89).
But Utah could not touch Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, could not tame the Ducks’ cadre of playmakers.
And Washington is just as loaded.
“They’ve got excellent personnel — the thing that stands out, obviously, is the quarterback and the throw game,” said Whittingham. “… It’s statistically the best in the nation by a considerable margin, like 50 yards better than the next-closest passing game. And so that will be the biggest challenge.”
To his point, quarterback Michael Penix leads the nation in passing yards (3,201), and is third in passing touchdowns (26), while ranking seventh in passing efficiency and 13th in completion percentage. And wideouts Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk are fifth and 10th, respectively in receiving yards.
Asked what stood out about Penix’s play, Utah defensive end Van Fillinger didn’t mince words.
“He’s a very decisive decision-maker and he is very accurate with the ball,” Fillinger said. “He has very fast release time and he gets it out in time almost every play.”
Whittingham, meanwhile, brought up the quarterback’s pocket presence, noting that he is excellent at sensing oncoming pressure and being able to shift away from it, while still keeping his eyes downfield as he’s on the move.
Several coaches also noted that Penix also benefits from what Whittingham called, “probably the best offensive line we’ve faced to this point.”
Utah defensive tackles coach Luther Elliss broke down the group that ranks third in the nation with just 0.67 sacks allowed per game.
“They are good and talented across the board. Very talented, very athletic, they can move well, got big guys inside [the Huskies’ guards are 6-foot-8 and 6-6, respectively], they control the middle, and then their tackles are very athletic,” Elliss said. “So they’re just a very athletic group that plays well together.”
He also credited Penix, though, saying a big component of Washington allowing just six sacks in nine games is the QB’s ability to detect danger and get the ball out.
“He’s a complete player,” Elliss added. “I mean, this conference this year has had probably the best three or four quarterbacks in the country. And he’s for sure — I’m not gonna say who’s the best, but he’s up there. He’s up there, he’s one of the best.”
Utah’s coaches made it a point to note that slowing the Huskies’ vaunted passing attack can’t be all on the team’s ever-improving secondary, that the defensive line must be more effective than it was against Oregon.
That said, one of Utah’s cornerbacks said he and his group needed to do their jobs well in order to give the big guys up front a chance to get home.
“The matchups on the wide receivers, [we need to] lock up so our D-line can get to the ball, get to the quarterback,” said JaTravis Broughton. “[We need to] make it a long game for them.”
With the Huskies so exceptional in the passing game, running back Dillon Johnson can sometimes feel like a bit of an afterthought, as he is just 47th nationally in total rushing yards.
However, he clearly has the ability to dominate a game, as evidenced by his 256-yard performance last week vs. USC.
“We know he’s a really good back and he’s capable of that pretty much any week that they want to feature that,” said Whittingham. “They make their money throwing the football — that’s what they want to do first and foremost — but if you thin out the front and overload the coverages, then you’re gonna get a good dose of him.”
Sooooo … Washington’s pretty much unstoppable then? Is that it?
No, of course not.
The Huskies are 9-0, but have shown some weak spots.
While everyone has fixated on the similarities between Washington and Oregon offensively, not enough people have paid attention to the big differences between them on the other side of the ball.
The Ducks rank 18th in total defense (301.7 yards allowed per game), while the Huskies are 99th (413.0). And in scoring defense, Oregon is 11th (16.0 ppg), and Washington is tied for 44th (23.0).
That means Utah’s up-and-down offense should have a good shot of putting up far more than the six points they managed against the Ducks at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
And it can’t be overlooked that the Huskies had a nearly disastrous game against an Arizona State team that Utah just annihilated by a 55-3 margin. Washington needed to score 12 fourth-quarter points to rally for a 15-7 win.
So, what lessons can the Utes take from that contest?
“Four turnovers,” said Whittingham. “The big deal in that game, which kept things very tight, was the four turnovers by the Huskies.”