Week 5’s first Pac-12 game of the weekend features a top matchup between two of the conference’s best: the Utah Utes and Oregon State Beavers. Both of these squads are top-20 teams in the country.
Utah is coming off of a 14-7 slugfest victory over the UCLA Bruins to start conference play. Oregon State lost a 38-35 thriller against Washington State last week to start 0-1 in the Pac-12, something they will want to fix tonight against Utah.
What Time Is FS1’s Game Tonight?
- Start Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Channel: FS1
- Weather: Accuweather projects the game to be around 64 degrees with mostly cloudy skies and scattered showers around kickoff.
- Odds: Oregon State -4.5
- Over/Under Total: 44.5
Series Record
This all-time series is tied at 12-12-1. Utah has won three of the last four, including last year’s bout 42-16.
What’s at Stake
While we are waiting on the status of Cam Rising, who has yet to be cleared as of the time of this writing, redshirt freshman quarterback Nate Johnson is set to make his third straight start for the Utes.
Johnson is 31 of 49 passing for 398 yards and two touchdowns, but he adds an extra element to the No. 10 Utes’ offense with his legs, as he has 150 yards and three touchdowns on the ground as well. Utah is 4-0 so far this season with Rising out.
Johnson will look to lead Utah’s offense against the No. 19 Beavers’ defense that ranks 45th in total defense, 30th in scoring defense, and seventh in rushing defense. Utah’s offense has yet to find its groove, ranking 112th in total offense, 96th in scoring, and 119th in passing offense.
On the other side, Oregon State’s offense is looking to continue its success against a top-tier Utah defense. Oregon State has scored 25+ points in every game this season, while Utah has allowed just 38 total points thus far. Utah’s defense, led by safety Cole Bishop, ranks in the top 10 in yards allowed and scoring defense.
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The Beavers’ attack, led by quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, running back Damien Martinez, and an outstanding tackle duo of Joshua Gray and Taliese Fuaga, is one of college football‘s best units so far this season. The team ranks 26th in total offense and ninth in rushing. Oregon State’s offense started slow last week against Washington State but rattled off 21 points in the fourth quarter. They’ll want to keep that momentum going this week.
Both of these teams run pro-style offenses with dynamic rushing quarterbacks and physical defensive play. Expect to see both lean on their run games extensively in this one, especially if the rain becomes a factor.