Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — It's been an interesting year for Utah football, to say the least. The program announced this week that Cam Rising would miss the remainder of the year after suffering an injury at Arizona State.
The rest of the way, the Utes will start Isaac Wilson, who is 2-1 as the team's starter, with Brandon Rose as the backup.
What do the Utes need to do to get back in the win column against TCU?
Utah announces tonight in a statement that Cam Rising's injury is season-ending pic.twitter.com/UOdybMkHrb
— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) October 15, 2024
Prepare the secondary
TCU's quarterback Josh Hoover is ranked sixth nationally with 2,007 passing yards, and has been effective in completing nearly 70% of its passing attempts.
Former LSU Tigers wide receiver Jack Bech has been sensational for TCU thus far, hauling in 39 passes for 702 yards and seven touchdowns, nearly half of Hoover's touchdowns at 16.
Bech's 702 yards and seven touchdowns is ranked fifth nationally in just six games played.
Utah's pass defense has been solid, giving up just 172 yards per game through the air. Even in losses, no team has thrown for over 200 yards on the Utes.
Expect a high-scoring game
The Horned Frogs have played five FBS opponents this season and four of them have gone over the projected over/under total. That means two things: TCU puts up points, and gives up a lot of points.
The Horned Frogs gave up 66 points to SMU — albeit some were defensive touchdowns — but still put up 42 points and nearly 500 yards of total offense.
Utah's defense is good; there is no other way around it. They've held every opponent under 27 points as one of only six teams that have done so this year. Despite that, the TCU offense may be the best Utah has seen this year and potentially could be the best they see all season.
Run the ball and kill time
Micah Bernard has been exceptional for the Utes this year, totaling 676 rushing yards to lead the team.
TCU struggles mightly against the run, giving up over 180 rushing yards per game. The Horned Frogs have given up more than 200 rushing yards in three different occasions this season.
Establishing the run does many things for the Utes: it keeps pressure off Wilson, it sets up play-action passes for the freshman QB, who is 21-of-32 for 288 yards on the season, and it drains the clock to keep the ball out of TCU's hands.
Utah is second in the country in average time of posession at nearly 36 minutes per game, narrowly trailing only Oregon State. Keeping the ball out of TCU's hands will limit the high-powered offense's chances to reach that 27-point threshold.
In a loss to then Houston, TCU held the ball for just 23 minutes and failed to eclipse the 300-yard mark for the first time this season. Keeping the ball out of TCU's hands will be crucial for the Utes.
The Utes and Horned Frogs will meet for the first time since the Mountain West Conference days. TCU has a two-game winning streak on the Utes, with both being blowouts. Utah will look to get back in the win column and right the ship against TCU at 8:30 p.m. MDT on Saturday on ESPN.
