Utah State heads south to face No. 17 Utah
Two teams with different vibes to their early seasons meet Saturday at 1:30 p.m. when Utah State travels to Salt Lake City to face No. 17 Utah in afternoon spotlight game at Rice-Eccles Stadium (1:30 p.m. on FOX).
The Utes (2-0) have wins over Idaho and Arkansas by an average margin of 42.5 points per victory.
The Aggies (0-2) bounced back from an embarrassing home loss to Idaho State (29-17) and challenged No. 19 Washington on the road before falling (16-14).
Defenses ready
Both teams have been great defensively so far this season.
At Utah, Weber State alum Colton Swan has led his defense to allow just 12 points per game. The Utes have allowed just one passing play of 20 or more yards and only three rushing plays of 10 or more yards. Utah also broke up 13 passes against Arkansas, the second-highest total in program history and most since 1998.
At Utah State, Ben Lomond High alum Nick Howell has his defense allowing 17.5 points per game. The Aggies ranks first in the Pac-12 Conference in total defense (298.5 yards allowed per game) and rushing defense (98.0).
Utes have an offense, too
Utah has scored 30 or more points in eight straight games, the longest active streak in FBS.
Sweeping the field
The Utes are looking to sweep their nonconference slate for the fourth straight season. Utah’s last regular-season nonconference loss was Sept. 3, 2022, at Florida (29-26).
All-time series
This will be the 114th meeting between the two state schools. Utah leads the all-time series 80-29-4, including a record of 54-17-4 in Salt Lake City.
The teams last played in 2024, a 38-21 win for Utah in Logan. This is the first time the teams have met in SLC since 2015.
Utah State’s last win in the series came in 2012, a 27-20 win in Logan. The Aggies’ last victory in Salt Lake was a 21-14 decision in 1997.
TV game
The featured matchup kicks at 1:30 p.m. on FOX. Dan Hellie and Robert Smith have the call.
Local radio
Fans can catch the game with radio calls from either school.
Utah’s call goes out on 92.1 FM and 700 AM, with Bill Riley, Stevenson Sylvester and Zack Moss on the microphone.
Utah State’s broadcast is on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM, with Scott Garrard and Kevin White on the call.
Prediction
The SP+ formula from ESPN’s Bill Connelly predicts Utah winning 39-15 at 94% probability.