The thing I'm looking out for most Saturday will be Utah's offense. I don't think the Cardinals have entirely too tough of a defense, which means the Utes should be able to at least move the ball somewhat. That's important, because they didn't do that at all against Oregon. If they struggle here, it might suggest things aren't at the level they need to be on the offensive end to produce a really good season.
So what type of offensive performance is acceptable? I want to see four quarters of good play. Even if the Utes don't break 40, I think they can establish some momentum if there are minimal turnovers, red zone scoring and sustained drives - something lacking last week. If that's the case, I will feel a lot better about their chances the remainder of the year.
Now how do they improve the offense? Well for starters, they need to ditch the whole Terrance Cain long-bombs because they aren't going to work. Beyond that, though, they need to shake up the Matt Asiata package since it appears teams are well aware of what to expect. If you're going to line him up under center and have him run the ball every single time, the defense won't defend for anything else. You've heard the cliched term about keeping the defense guessing, but it's true. If Asiata is going to be effective, they need to shake things up and force the defense into defending multiple plays Utah will run.
This is a big game for the offense and if they come out and perform well, I think things will start working out nicely for them. If they struggle, though, it might prove we have some bigger issues than first thought.
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