Opponent Preview: Washington State Offense

Win, lose or tie, the Utes will hit the field for their final game of a tumultuous 2020 season against Washington State this Saturday after confirming they will not accept a bowl invitation early Friday morning.

Having only played three games this season, losing to powerhouses Oregon and USC, while beating Oregon State in their opener, the Cougars are possibly the most mysterious team in the PAC-12 right now, with only one thing for certain...look out for the same passing attack to be the same you’ve come to expect from Wazzu.

Freshman quarterback Jayden De Laura (6’0”, 195 lbs.) has thrown for 682 yards in his limited time on the field this season, while completing 60.4% of his passes against some of the best defenses in the conference. De Laura has found the end zone four times (plus a lone rushing TD against OSU) while throwing three interceptions. Senior Renard Bell (5’8”, 161 lbs.) and junior Travell Harris (5’0”, 180 lbs.) have been favorite targets of De Laura, combining for 569 yards and two TDs each.

The difference for this season’s Cougars team comes from a potent ground attack, with senior Deon McIntosh gaining 304 rushing yards, with a 6.9 yard average per carry. Harris has also made his mark on the ground, finding his footing as a red zone threat with two rushing touchdowns with just five carries this season.

While it’s probably not the Cougar team Ute fans wanted to face at the end of the season, Utah’s young defense will have one more shot to shine against a talented offense before a (hopeful) return to normalcy in 2021.