Three keys to a Utah Utes victory: Pac-12 Championship edition

For the second year in a row and the fourth time in five seasons, the University of Utah Football program has reached the Pac-12 Championship and will compete for another Title.

While the Utes are the reigning champions and have already beaten USC once this season, a victory in Las Vegas will require a complete group effort and near perfection in several key areas.

3. Success in the run game to balance the offense and provide versatility

Not that the run game was necessarily bad against the Trojans the first time as the Utes found the end zone four times on the ground, but in terms of overall yards, it was well below their seasonal average.

For the year, the Utes averaged 220 yards per game (5.5 yards per carry). In their nine victories, Utah averaged 229 yards per game opposed to just 196 in their three losses.

So here's where things get a little weird but stay with me. Against USC, Utah recorded a season low of 138 yards with an average of 4.3 per carry. So is it possible to beat USC without a stellar run game? Obviously, but your quarterback has to pass for 424 yards with 234 going to your tight end. Not exactly replicable, or at least it shouldn't be.

So if the run game can produce and get anywhere near the 210-225 range, it very well could become an X-factor for Utah and provide aid in moving the sticks.

Looking back at individual stats from the USC game, Ja'Quinden Jackson had only one carry and Jaylon Glover didn't make an appearance. So let these guys play a little early on. Get a feel for it and see if they can make an impact. Sure, theres plenty of tape but USC isn't overly familiar with Jackson or Glover.

Producing another 400+ yards with the vast majority going to Kincaid probably isn't going to happen. But if the run game can get close to 200+ with another 200-250 through the air, I like Utah's chances.

2. The defense has to apply pressure and do their best to limit big plays from Caleb Williams

Before I jump into this let's just get one thing straight real quick. Caleb Williams is easily the best quarterback in the Pac-12 and just might be the best in the entire country. Week in and week out, he's gotten the job done and put USC back on the map after a pitiful 4-8 season just a year ago.

With that being said however, Utah has shown that he's not impossible to beat, it just requires a certain strategy to contain him.

In the first half against USC, the Utes demonstrated exactly how not to try and contain Williams. Going into the locker room, the Trojan's QB had 249 of the teams 364 yards. Additionally, USC had also scored 28 points and were averaging 8.7 yards per play.

As for the second half, Williams recorded just 132 yards and the team average dropped to 7.1. They were also outscored by Utah 22-14 during that time.

So what changed? A lot of it had to do with pressure. In the first half, Utah was only bringing four rushers which gave Williams an eternity in the pocket and he took full advantage. Transitioning to the second half, the Utes started bringing five, six, and even seven rushers in certain situations which limited Williams time in the pocket and the results speak for themselves.

"We first challenged the d-line to up the pressure and became more of a pass rush mindset and getting better off the ball, and that helped. We also dialed up a little more pressure in the second half and brought more five, six, seven-man pressures, and I think it was a combination of those things," Kyle Whittingham said.

I expect Utah to play that same strategy from the start against USC on Friday. You can't stop Williams, but you certainly can contain him and give your offense a chance to win the game.

1. Rising needs to play with the same mentality he did the first time

As I've said before, I do not expect Rising to throw for 400+ yards on Friday night. It's just not replicable, especially with the expectation that Dalton Kincaid will be suffocated all night long.

But, with all that being said, Rising needs to play with the same relentless and aggressive mentality that he did against the Trojans back in October.

In addition to a career-high in passing yards that night, Rising was also 30-44 (68%) with zero interceptions, 60 yards rushing and 3 rushing touchdowns.

Thats the Rising that Utah needs in order to run it back. They need an efficient, smart, consistent performance from No. 7 with almost no mistakes. No overthrown or under-thrown balls. No miscues. No turnovers.

Basically, I am asking for near perfection from Rising but I know he's completely capable of it.

Cameron Rising: "That belief hasn't wavered. We never stopped believing, even after a game went bad. It didn't matter. Just kept the course. That's why we're here. Just got to go execute and finish it out." #GoUtes #pac12championship
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 29, 2022

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