Utah football keys to victory vs. Baylor

How the Utes can come away from Waco, Texas, with a win on Saturday

Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) leads his team into a pivotal Big 12 matchup against the Baylor Bears. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

In its first game outside its home state in nearly two months, Utah looks to keep its College Football Playoff and conference championship game aspirations intact as it heads down to Waco, Texas, for a pivotal matchup with Baylor.

Coming in at No. 13 in the latest CFP rankings, the Utes (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) travel outside of Utah for a Big 12 game for the first time since Sept. 27 to take on a Bears (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) squad that's striving to earn bowl eligibility with an upset win over a conference foe.

Let's take a look at some keys to victory for Utah heading into Saturday's 5 p.m. MT kickoff from McLane Stadium.

Offense: Maintain the status quo

Utah should be able to exploit a few holes in Baylor's porous defense, given that the Bears struggle to defend the run and apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Few teams have successfully halted the Utes' ground-and-pound offense to this point. The dynamic rushing attack featuring Devon Dampier (5.5 yards per carry), two solid tailbacks in Wayshawn Parker (7.0) and NaQuari Rodgers (3.9), as well as an elusive Daniel Bray (7.9) on the outside, ranks No. 3 in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 267.1 yards per game. Only two service academies in Navy (304.9) and Air Force (269) average more rush yards per game.

It's hardly a wonder why the Utes' front line is being considered a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, which honors the best offensive line in college football. Utah's physicality in the trenches helps pave the way for Dampier and company, with tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu bookending a unit that's allowed just seven sacks all season.

Oct 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes offensive lineman Spencer Fano (55) and Utah Utes offensive lineman Michael Mokofisi (52) wait for the play during the third quarter of the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Bears' defense, meanwhile, brings down quarterbacks at the lowest rate among Big 12 teams and isn't particularly stout against the run, either. Baylor is the only one in the league with fewer than 10 sacks on the season, and if its first game of the month — a 30-3 victory over UCF — is discounted, then Dave Aranda's squad yields 191.8 rush yards per game in conference play.

Holding the Knights to just 74 yards on the ground brings the Bears' league average down to 172.2 yards per contest. But it's hard to make the case for that performance carrying over to a matchup with an opponent that nearly gets 6 yards every time it runs the ball.

Utah needs to maintain its efficient approach on offense so its defense doesn't have to spend more time on the field than it normally would while trying to stop Sawyer Robertson and the Bears' potent air attack.

Defense: Collapse the pocket

Despite some lapses early on, Utah's secondary is playing up to Kyle Whittingham's standards. The Utes boast the best passing defense in the Big 12, allowing just 168.2 yards through the air per game, and come in at No. 1 in defensive efficiency.

Throwing perhaps one of the best quarterbacks in the country completely out of sync during the Utes' 45-14 win over Brendan Sorsby and Cincinnati should give the defensive backs' group a lot of confidence going into Saturday's game. But Morgan Scalley's man-to-man concepts do put some pressure on his cornerbacks to hold up downfield, thus making it imperative that the front seven apply heat on the quarterback in obvious passing situations.

Utah's edge rushers must make their presence felt on Saturday, or else Robertson and Baylor's array of athletic receivers and an NFL-caliber tight end will eventually chip away at the Utes' secondary. Sacks aren't the end-all-be-all measuring stick for determining how impactful a pass rush is (just ask the Bearcats); winning the line of scrimmage and forcing quick decisions from the quarterback can be enough to disrupt what the opposing offense wants to accomplish with its pass game.

Utah has to push Robertson out of his comfort zone and get home on a few blitzes for the Utes to have a chance at grounding the No. 1 passing attack in the Big 12.

Bottom line

How frequently the Utes lean on their run game to sustain long drives will partly determine how their defense holds up against Robertson, Michael Trigg and Baylor's trio of Josh Cameron, Ashtyn Hawkins and Kole Wilson at the wide receiver spot, on the other side of the ball. Because if Utah puts together multiple scoring drives that chew up almost half of the 15-minute quarters, Baylor won't have many opportunities to counter.

Nov 1, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears running back Bryson Washington (7) carries the ball against the UCF Knights during the first half at McLane Stadium. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Bears won't be one-dimensional on offense, though. Bryson Washington is close to eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards for a second consecutive season, as he sits at 629 yards with three games left in the regular season. The redshirt sophomore's been quiet as of late, averaging just 2.6 yards per carry over his last three games, but shouldn't be overlooked by the Utes on Saturday.

Defending Utah's triple-option and being ready for the unique play designs Jason Beck throws their way will be challenging for the Bears, though the burden of executing still falls on Dampier and company. Given Utah doesn't have any margin for error regarding its College Football Playoff and Big 12 title game hopes, it'll be interesting to see how Whittingham's group handles the pressure as it faces a talented Baylor squad.

Prediction: Utah 34, Baylor 20