Utah Shows Consistency With Effective Rushing | CFB Week 9
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - 18 straight games, Joe Lisi, inside Rice-Eckels.
00:09 So tell me, Joe, how are the Oregon Ducks on the road
00:12 nearly a touchdown favorite?
00:14 - Well, I think you're looking at an explosive offense
00:16 with Bo Nix completing 78% of his passes,
00:19 19 touchdowns, one interception.
00:21 They're rushing for over 200, throwing for 326.
00:24 Just explosive at the point of attack,
00:26 and their defense is just as good
00:28 as Utah heading into this ballgame,
00:30 holding opposing offenses to 2.6 yards per carry,
00:33 33% in terms of third down defense.
00:36 So if they can get off the field
00:37 and give Bo Nix multiple opportunities to score,
00:40 they're gonna be in this ballgame
00:42 and more importantly, cover this number.
00:43 But you have a Utah team
00:46 that is running the football effectively.
00:48 247 last week, two weeks ago against California, 317.
00:53 And again, you look at the resumes for both teams, Ben.
00:56 You know, Utah has played Baylor, Florida, UCLA,
01:00 Oregon State, USC.
01:02 They've battle tested right now.
01:04 You look at the five FBS wins right now for Oregon,
01:08 combined overall record of their opponents,
01:11 just 15 and 22 overall.
01:13 That's a 408 winning percentage, Kevin.
01:15 More importantly, straight up on the road
01:18 or on a neutral field since 2017 as a program,
01:22 Utah 22 and 25 overall.
01:24 - I like the Utes in this ballgame.
01:26 - So this is one of the most surprising lines.
01:29 - I agree.
01:30 - I heard the line before I knew where the game was.
01:33 And I went, oh my God, I love Oregon Lions
01:36 six and a half at home.
01:37 Where's the game?
01:39 Or what?
01:40 Six and a half at Utah.
01:42 Here's the thing though.
01:43 That means it's an Oregon line.
01:44 I don't know if people always agree with this,
01:46 but this line tells you they love the Ducks.
01:49 If this was, if we flipped location,
01:51 this would be double digits in favor of Oregon.
01:53 And I think it speaks to two things primarily.
01:55 One is the idea that Oregon
01:57 is a true national championship contender,
02:00 but obviously it could be tough to cross the finish line
02:02 with one loss already sat on the table.
02:03 And look, certainly a tough task at hand today.
02:06 And you know, there's still talent throughout the Pac-12
02:08 and the rest of their schedule
02:09 and even a game in a Pac-12 championship spot.
02:12 But the second thing is the books do not believe
02:16 the offensive explosion that we have seen
02:18 from Utah the past two weeks.
02:20 Yes, they beat up on Cal.
02:21 Yes, they beat up on USC.
02:23 But prior to that,
02:24 this offense had left a lot to be desired.
02:27 31 points scored on Damian Lillard and Weber State,
02:29 I think it was.
02:31 24 against Florida.
02:32 And never more than that
02:34 in any of their other football games is seized in.
02:37 Oregon's defense is a unit I believe in a lot more than,
02:41 than maybe most.
02:42 If they keep this Utah team in the 17 to 21 range,
02:46 not only do I think they win the game,
02:48 I think they cover.
02:50 With all that said, man, it is tough.
02:53 Lay six and a half at you.
02:54 (upbeat music)
02:57 (upbeat music)