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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utes are losers of six in a row, with the last home win coming against Baylor — the game that sidelined quarterback Cam Rising the first time this season. The Utes can still make a bowl game but need to win their last two games to do so.
Utah will welcome in Iowa State for their last home game this season.
What do the Utes need to do to take down the No. 22 Cyclones?
Take care of the ball
In the loss to Colorado, Utah turned the ball over four times, including three interceptions. Utah's defense forced three of their own, including one on the first play of the game. While Utah resorted to a field goal, the Utes defense still gave them looks to take advantage, but the offense turned it back over.
Iowa State is No. 20 in turnover margin at 0.8 per game, which means Utah will need to take care of the ball so Iowa State doesn't get any extra advantages. Iowa State's defense is also No. 3 in opponent interceptions thrown at 5.8%.
Assuming Isaac Wilson is the starter, it will be a big step for him if he is able to limit the turnovers and extend drives.
Establish the run game
Iowa State has a good pass defense, but its run defense has struggled. The Cyclones give up 184 rushing yards per game, which is among the bottom 30 in all of college football.
UCF nearly upset the Cyclones by rushing for 354 yards, and Kansas took down the Cyclones while rushing for 237. The Utes struggled to get a run game going against Colorado, running for 50 yards before sack yardage. Micah Bernard rushed for an average of 1.8 yards per carry, while Mike Mitchell led the team in rushing with 28 total yards.
Bernard has been efficient in the backfield this year, and last week seemed to be a one-off for the senior back.
Get to the quarterback
Quarterback Rocco Becht has a 79.4 offensive grade, per Pro Football Focus, when kept clean in the pocket. When pressured, his grade plummets to 60.2 — 13% of Becht's pressures turn into sacks, which means Utah has to get after Becht if they want to limit his passing attack.
Utah sacked Shedeur Sanders three times last week, and a similar number against Iowa State would give the Utes a chance to upset the Cyclones and get their first win in two months.
The Utes will honor its seniors on Saturday, with kickoff at 5:30 p.m. MST on ESPN.
