The Utah Utes and No. 14 Stanford Cardinal are set to do battle on the grass at Stanford Stadium. ESPN is scheduled to have the TV rights and this key Pac-12 game kicks off at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Utah Utes vs. Stanford Cardinal
This Saturday Pac-12 pairing shows the Utes as the underdogs and they’re currently getting 5 points. The Utes are also receiving +180 moneyline odds while the Cardinal are -220. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 47 points. If the favorites start trailing early, it will likely create a nice betting opportunity in-game.
The game’s total has shifted downward after initially being set at 47.5. The opening line (-5) has remained consistent.
The Utes are 1-3 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 1.1 units so far in 2018. The team’s posted an O/U record of 1-2.
The Cardinal are up 2.0 units this season. The team is 3-2 ATS and has an even O/U record of 2-2.
The Utes have gone 2-2 straight up (SU), including 0-2 SU against Pac-12 opponents. The Cardinal are 4-1 SU overall and 2-0 SU in conference play.
When these two squads met last year, Stanford won by a field goal 23-20.
The Utes dropped one to Washington State 28-24 in a matchup where their secondary allowed the Cougars to air it out for 445 yards and three touchdowns. Easop Winston Jr. had a productive day for the Cougars in that one with 115 yards and a score on four catches. On the offense, Tyler Huntley completed 12 passes for just 118 yards. Zack Moss (106 yards on 30 rush attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Huntley (88 yards on 17 carries, two TDs) led the ground attack. Britain Covey (four receptions, 22 yards) and Demari Simpkins (two catches, 25 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
One week ago, Notre Dame knocked off this Stanford team by a score of 38-17. The Cardinal defense let the Fighting Irish kill the clock by rushing for 272 yards on 55 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Dexter Williams torched the defense, recording 161 rushing yards and a score on 21 attempts for Notre Dame. For Stanford, K.J. Costello completed 15-of-27 passes for 174 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Bryce Love (73 rushing yards on 17 attempts, one TD) handled the running attack as Trenton Irwin (five receptions, 57 yards) and JJ Arcega-Whiteside (five catches, 30 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Utah has run the ball on 53.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Stanford has a rush percentage of 48.8 percent. The Utes have run for 165.8 yards per game (including 163.5 per game against Pac-12 opponents) and have six scores on the ground this year. The Cardinal are averaging 94.4 rushing yards per game (115.0 in conference) and have four total rush TDs.
If 2018 results are any indication, then the Utes could hold an edge when it comes to efficiency in the ground game, since their backfield has logged 4.3 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 2.6 to opponents. The Cardinal have recorded 3.4 yards per carry and given up a YPC of 3.8 to opponents.
The Utes offensive scheme has averaged 215.3 yards through the air overall (128.0 per game versus conference opposition) and has four passing TDs so far. The Cardinal have produced 246.0 pass yards per contest (255 against Pac-12 foes) and have 11 total pass scores.
Defensively, Utah seems to have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 83.8 yards and pass for 181.0 yards per game. The Stanford D has given up 242.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 152.8 yards per game to opposing runners. The Utes are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.13 to opposing QBs, while the Cardinal have allowed a 5.34 ANY/A.
Costello has connected on 69-of-115 passes for 903 yards, eight TDs and four INTs. Costello’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt sits at 6.85 for the year and 8.37 over his past two games. In the other locker room, Huntley is up to 683 passing yards this year, and has completed 57-of-91 attempts with four passing touchdowns and one interception. Huntley has a 6.44 ANY/A for the year, though that number sits at 2.90 over the past two games.
Utah Utes at Stanford Cardinal Free Prediction
SU Winner: Stanford, ATS Winner: Stanford, O/U: Over
Team Betting Notes
- Utah was the underdog by one point in its last game and the Over/Under was 50.5. The over cashed and Utah failed to cover in the 28-24 defeat to Washington State.
- Utah, as a team, has produced 3.34745762711864 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.1 over its last two.
- Stanford has averaged 3.2 yards per carry over its last three games and 2.6 over its past two.
- Stanford has lost zero fumbles this season while Utah has lost seven.
- Over its last three games, Utah is 0-3 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Stanford was favored by 5 points in its last game and the Over/Under was set at 54.5. The over cashed and Stanford failed to cover in that 38-17 defeat to Notre Dame.
- The Utes offense has created three pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Cardinal have accounted for five such plays.
- The Utah defense has allowed three pass plays of 40+ yards, while Stanford has given up two such plays.
- The Utah offense has created eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Stanford has created five such runs.
- The Utes defense has allowed two rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Cardinal have given up eight such runs.
- The Stanford defense has sacked opposing QBs 14 times this year. Utah has produced nine sacks.
