Behind Enemy Lines: 5 Questions With Utah Expert

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With the Oregon State football team (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) set to face No. 12 Utah (3-1, 1-0) at Reser Stadium on Saturday evening, BeaversEdge talks with UteNation Publisher Alex Markham to learn more about the Utes!

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Alex Markham: "The Utes offense has had a bad tendency to start slow, and that was even before losing star tight end Brant Kuithe for the season. Therefore, put extra focus on tight end Dalton Kincaid and make the other playmakers beat you. Utah also currently doesn’t have the dominant rushing attack that they’re used to due to Tavion Thomas’ early struggles.

For Oregon State’s offense, that’s a great question. Against Florida, the Utah defense was too aggressive, struggled to contain the edges, over-pursued and missed tackles. Ever since then, however, they’ve been downright dominant. Of course, the level of competition has been lackluster, so study the Florida film meticulously and hope some of that approach can work."

AM: "Huge. Huge. Huge. Huge. He was Rising’s go-to guy. If you game planned to stop him, it was a “pick your poison situation” and Dalton Kincaid would go off. Utah’s depth at tight end is impressive, but no one on the roster can provide Kuithe’s hybrid look that keeps opponents on their toes.

Utah’s wide receivers only recently began to really get involved in the offense. Against SDSU, they came through, but some struggled against ASU.

Either this offense is going to struggle initially or it will become more dangerous with Rising having to split up all of Kuithe’s touches. That’s the big unknown heading into the game."

AM: "The offense all starts with Cam Rising. The 2021 First-Team All Pac-12 quarterback had the rough ending to the Florida game, but other than that he’s had a solid season. Once he can get his guys to avoid the slow starts, his numbers could explode. Along with Kincaid, receiver Devaughn Vele seems to be the likely beneficiary of Kuithe’s absence. He’s seen more targets the last couple weeks and has taken advantage of his opportunities with some impressive plays.

Utah running back Tavion Thomas was suspended for the first half last week due to internal disciplinary actions. It’s very real that his role could diminish even more this week, but he’s also the type that can excel with a chip on his shoulder. If Thomas’ role is reduced like anticipated, former quarterback Ja’Quinden Jackson is converting to running back and there are high expectations for him—whether that clicks for him this week or in the coming weeks is the big question.

Running back Micah Bernard is someone who should also see increased targets with Kuithe’s absence. He’s listed as a running back, but he’s a dangerous weapon in the passing game and a trusted target for Rising.

Defensively, defensive tackle Junior Tafuna, is someone Chance Nolan is going to see way too much of. He’ll get a ton of pressure in the Beavers’ backfield. The linebackers don’t have a ton of experience, but Karene Reid and Lander Barton are rounding into form. In the secondary, Utah has two of the best in college football with cornerback Clark Phillips III and safety Cole Bishop. Phillips is a lockdown defender and Bishop a sure-tackling, hard-hitting, ball-hawking nightmare for opposing offenses."