Utah Utes (3-2) vs Arizona State Sun Devils (5-1)
Game Info: Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 10:00 pm (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Betting Odds: Utah Utes 0 -- Over/Under: 51 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The 18th ranked Arizona State Sun Devils will travel to Rice-Eccles Stadium to take on the Utah Utes this Saturday night in College Football action.
The 18th ranked Arizona State Sun Devils won their 3rd straight game and improved to 5-1 on the season after defeating the Stanford Cardinal, 28-10, this past Friday. Arizona State was outstanding on the defensive end against Stanford and had no trouble holding on to the victory after a 22-yard TD run by Elijhah Badger gave the Sun Devils a 21-7 lead early in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State outgained Stanford by a 430-369 margin and won the turnover battle by a 3-1 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Sun Devils was RB Rachaad White who had 96 rushing yards & 1 TD on 13 carries.
On the season, Arizona State is averaging 33.3 ppg on 440.7 total yards per game (228.7 passing yds/g; 212.0 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Arizona State has been led by QB Jayden Daniels who has completed 70.1% of his passes for 1269 yards, 4 TD, & 3 INT. Daniels is also a threat with his legs as he is the 2nd leading rusher for the Sun Devils with 369 yards & 3 TD’s on 55 carries. Also in the backfield with Daniels is the RB duo of Rachaad White (77 att, 427 yards, 9 TD) & Daniyel Ngata (37 att, 237 yards, 3 TD). The leading receivers for the Sun Devils have been Ricky Pearsall (19 rec, 256 yards, 2 TD), Curtis Hodges (12 rec, 256 yards), LV Bunkley-Shelton (18 rec, 234 yards, TD), & Johnny Wilson (12 rec, 154 yards, TD).
Defensively, Arizona State is holding their opponents to an average of 16.2 ppg on 299.0 total yards per game (181.3 passing yds/g; 117.7 rushing yds/g).
The Utah Utes won their 2nd straight game and improved to 3-2 on the season after defeating the USC Trojans, 42-26, this past Saturday. Utah was outstanding on the offensive end against the Trojans and had no trouble pulling away after a 43-yard TD run by Tavion Thomas gave the Utes a 28-10 lead with 12:41 left in the 3rd quarter. Utah was outgained by USC by a 493-486 margin, however, did win the turnover battle by a 1-0 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Utes was QB Cameron Rising who completed 22 of 28 passes for 306 yards & 3 TD’s while also rushing for a TD.
On the season, Utah is averaging 30.8 ppg on 390.6 total yards per game (221.8 passing yds/g; 168.8 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Utah has been led by QB Cameron Rising who has completed 65.9% of his passes for 625 yards & 7 TD’s while also rushing for 105 yards & 1 TD on 16 carries. The top receiving threats for the Utes have been Brant Kuithe (20 rec, 192 yards, TD), Dalton Kincaid (12 rec, 188 yards, 3 TD), Solomon Enis (13 rec, 143 yards, TD), & Britain Covey (20 rec, 141 yards, TD). Leading the way for the Utes backfield has been the trio of Micah Bernard (47 att, 271 yards, TD), Tavion Thomas (37 att, 247 yards, 3 TD), & TJ Pledger (21 att, 142 yards, TD).
Defensively, Utah is holding their opponents to an average of 23.0 ppg on 341.8 total yards per game (211.0 passing yds/g; 130.8 rushing yd/sg).
The Sun Devils are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game. The Utes are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up win and 12-4 ATS in their last 16 conference games.
Arizona State has had a great season to date, however, going to Utah is always a tough game, especially as the Utes have looked outstanding offensively since putting Cameron Rising under center. Utah has a defense that should give the Arizona State running game some trouble and as I think the Utes continue to roll offensively like we saw against USC, I’m taking Utah at home in this pick-em. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Utah Utes - Pick-Em
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
