SANTA CLARA, Calif.-Friday evening, the No. 5 Utah Utes (11-1, 8-1 in Pac-12 play) return to the gridiron in hopes of making The College Football Playoff field by squaring off against No. 13 Oregon (10-2, 8-1 in Pac-12 play) in the Pac-12 title game at Levi’s Stadium of Santa Clara, Calif.
The Utes are playing in the Pac-12 title game for the second consecutive year while they are currently 42-39 (.519) all-time against their conference brethren since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham (131-62, .679) is in his 16th season at the helm of the Utes’ program.
The Utes ended the regular season, scoring 35.6 points per game, ranking them 18th nationally in scoring offense.
Senior signal-caller Tyler Huntley ended the regular season with a passer rating of 188.6 (5th nationally) and completed 75.5 percent of his passes (188-249, 2nd nationally) for 2,773 yards, 16 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Senior tailback Zack Moss (200 car, 1,246 yards [19th nationally], 15 touchdowns [tied for 12th nationally with Justin Henderson of Louisiana Tech and Central Michgan’s Jonathan Ward], 6.2 yards per carry [18th nationally]) has also been a stalwart for the Utah offense.
The Utes’ leading receiver is rising star sophomore tight end Brant Kuithe (29 rec, 550 yards, 6 TD’s) who is the reigning Pac-12 offensive player of the week after hauling in 3 receptions for 63 yards and two scores against Colorado last Saturday.
Sophomore receiver Bryan Thompson (17 rec, 452 yards, 3 TD’s, a team-best 26.6 yards per reception) continues to be Utah’s deep threat in the passing game.
Freshman kicker Jadon Redding has made 9 of 12 field goal attempts on the season and all 54 of his PAT attempts for the Utes.
Defensively, Utah is currently surrendering only 11.3 points per game (third nationally).
Sophomore linebacker Devin Lloyd leads the Utes with 76 tackles and also has 8 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks.
Senior defensive end Bradlee Anae (13.5 tackles for a loss, 12.5 sacks [7th nationally], pass breakup, forced fumble) is Utah’s overall defensive leader.
Senior defensive back Julian Blackmon (4 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles), junior defensive back Jaylon Johnson (a team-best 10 pass breakups), junior defensive end Hauati Pututau (a team-best three quarterback hits) and senior defensive tackle John Penisini (2 forced fumbles) all complement a stout Utes defense.
The Ducks are coached by Mario Cristobal who is 19-7 (.731) in his third season at the helm at Eugene, Ore. Cristobal is 46-54 (.460) all-time as a collegiate head coach, having coached at Florida International (2007-2012) as well.
Oregon averages 35.8 points per game, ranking them 16th nationally.
Senior signal-caller Justin Herbert completes 67.5 percent of his passes (258 of 382, tying him for 16th nationally with Southern Miss’ Jack Abraham) for 3,140 yards (18th nationally), 31 touchdowns (tying him for 9th nationally with Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts) and 5 interceptions.
Sophomore tailback CJ Verdell (162 car, 963 yards, 5 TD’s) leads the Ducks’ running game while his fellow sophomore running mate, Travis Dye (102 car, 642 yards, 6.3 yards per carry) also is solid.
Their fellow sophomore tailback, Cyrus Habibi-Liko has a team-best 10 rushing scores for Oregon.
Junior receiver Johnny Johnson III (49 rec, 731 yards, 6 TD’s), junior wide-out Jaylon Redd (47 rec, 430 yards, 7 TD’s) and senior tight end Jacob Breeland (26 rec, 405 yards, 6 TD’s) have all proven themselves valuable in the passing game for the Ducks.
Freshman kicker Camden Lewis has made 6 of his 11 field goal attempts and 49 of his 51 PAT attempts on the season for Oregon.
The Ducks’ defense gives up 15.8 points per game, ranking them 10th nationally in scoring defense.
Senior inside linebacker Troy Dye (a team-best 67 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, interception, 4 pass breakups, 3 quarterback hits, forced fumble) leads the Oregon defense overall.
Freshman defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux (a team-best 11.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks), sophomore safety Jevon Holland and redshirt freshman corner-back Vernon McKinley III (a team-best 4 interceptions apiece) and sophomore inside linebacker Isaac Slade-Matautia (a team-best 11 pass breakups and 6 quarterback hits) also contribute to the Oregon defense’s success.
Junior corner-back Deommodore Lenoir, junior inside linebacker Sampson Niu, senior defensive tackle Drayton Carlberg, sophomore defensive end DJ Johnson and junior corner-back Thomas Graham Jr. (forced fumble apiece) all have a forced fumble apiece for the Ducks in addition to those of Thibodeaux and Troy Dye.
The Ducks lead the Utes 22-10 all-time in a series dating back to 1933. The squads have never met each other at a neutral site.
