3 Keys to a Vegas Bowl Victory for Utah

As the Utes 2023 campaign officially reaches its twilight, there's still one more opportunity for the program to add a new trophy to the cabinet and head into the new year on a positive note.

Utah currently possesses a 68.8% chance to come out victorious against Northwestern in the Las Vegas Bowl this Saturday, December 23rd. Despite it not being as much of a spectacle as the program is used to in the Raiders Stadium, the advantage still goes to the Utes as the fans will show up no matter what, making it a hostile environment for the Wildcats.

With a few weeks of rest, the players will be excited to take the field once more, and if they don't want to come home empty-handed, here are three things the Utes need to do for a win.

Be Big Up Front

Throughout the season, one of, if not the biggest issues the team faced was their incredibly poor run and pass blocking. The QBs were taking hits left and right and the running backs had little to no holes to run through, leading to a lot of one-dimensional games. If Utah wants to come out on top, getting big in the trenches is a must, otherwise, they'll be hard-pressed to successfully have a balanced offensive approach.

Defense Wins Championships

Although this is not a championship by any means, it's the closest the Utes will get to one this year, and if they want to win, the ferocious Utah defense must continue their form. If there was one constant in this rollercoaster season it was the Utes defense, finishing out the year as the best in the Pac-12, teams rarely had their way on offense when the Utah unit was healthy. Despite the break of momentum and the loss of Cole Bishop, the top-tier unit should have no problem regaining their groove.

Fight Till The End

After back 2 back Rose Bowl appearances and Pac-12 Championships, the Las Vegas Bowl is a significantly different occasion than the program has been accustomed to in recent years. However, that shouldn't hinder the team's mindset going in and if they want to win, every unit and player should treat this game no differently than the Rose Bowl or Pac-12 Championship game. Albeit easier said than done, Utah fans will still come out in droves to make Vegas feel like Salt Lake City on game day, and the players should feed off the energy and play their hearts out to reward the team's resolve in the closing hours of an insanely unconventional season.