Game Daily: Scouting the Utes

Nov 6, 2015, 12:12 AM

Coming off their biggest margin of victory against a conference opponent of head coach Chris Petersen’s tenure, it appears freshman quarterback Jake Browning and the Washington football team have found a rhythm just in time to face No. 14 Utah, who leads the Pac-12 South. The Huskies held Arizona, the second-best offense in the Pac-12, out of the end zone en route to a 49-3 blowout victory. In a matchup featuring the top two scoring defenses in the conference, the Huskies are firing on all cylinders and are sure to be ready for Utah’s run-first offense. The experience of Utah senior quarterback Travis Wilson could prove to be a more difficult task to stop than the Wildcats’ quarterback tandem. Wilson is coming off a mistake-free performance last week completing 14-of-17 passes for 198 yards and one touchdown, while also running for 56 yards and a score against Oregon State. As a result of their run-first philosophy, Wilson has only thrown 10 touchdowns along with seven interceptions this season. It is important to note that Wilson will be one of the more mobile quarterbacks the Huskies face this season, as he is Utah’s second leading rusher with 296 yards on the season to go along with four touchdowns on the ground. Senior running back Devontae Booker shoulders the majority of the offensive load for the Utes and is third in the conference in all-purpose yards, averaging 156 per game. While he might not be as dynamic as Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, the Huskies could struggle as they did against the Cardinal with Booker’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Booker carried the ball 25 times for 121 yards against Oregon State last week. He scored his only touchdown of the day on Utah’s opening possession to cap off a 12-play, 75-yard drive that consisted entirely of runs by Wilson and Booker. If the UW’s defense can hold strong, Browning will face the tough task of battling a stalwart Utah defense that remains one of the stingiest in the conference, allowing only 21.4 points per game. Browning is coming off his best game so far at the UW, leading the offensive charge with four touchdown passes and a 12-yard rushing score, as the offense looked near-unstoppable for the first time since putting up 49 points against FCS opponent Sacramento State. Utah’s defense held Oregon State to two field goals and a touchdown last week, but the Utes only led 14-6 entering the fourth quarter. The offense let the Beavers stick around before closing the door with 13 points in the final 15 minutes on the way to a 27-12 victory. The Huskies need to win two of their final four regular-season games to become bowl-eligible, and defeating the Utes would be a step in the right direction for Petersen’s young roster. Reach reporter Evan Franklin at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @franklination13

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Game Daily: Scouting the Utes

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