Washington Huskies (3-1, 1-0) vs. Utah Utes (2-1, 0-1)
The Huskies make their first trip ever to Salt Lake City this Saturday to take on the Utah Utes, a new member of the Pac-12 conference this season. Utah is coming off a bye-week, and last saw the field in a road game at BYU. The Utes dominated and came away with a 54-10 victory over the Cougars. Washington is fresh off of a 31-23 victory over the California Golden Bears in a game that was decided in the last minute.
Utah's potent offense is led by junior quarterback Jordan Wynn, junior running back John White and junior wide receiver DeVonte Christopher. The mastermind behind the team's performance is offensive coordinator Norm Chow.
Thanks to Chow, the Huskies' secondary won't be facing the trademark Urban Meyer spread offense Utah has incorporated in past years. Still, Chow is one of the best offensive minds in the country and will be able to make Washington's holes a lot bigger this Saturday.
Husky fans should keep their eyes on these players this weekend:
Offensive Player to Watch:
Jordan Wynn (Jr.), Quarterback
Is his shoulder at one hundred percent? The Oceanside, California native underwent shoulder surgery on his throwing arm last December, and people are now questioning if the Utah coaching staff is covering an injury up. Fifteen of his 23 completions two weeks ago against BYU were mostly short passes. Regardless, Wynn has performed well and could be even more dangerous coming off of a bye week. Wynn and the Utes will have to be able to move the ball through the air if the Huskies offense gets off to a fast start.
Defensive Player to Watch:
Trevor Reilly (So.), Linebacker
Reilly wasn't a projected starter for the Utes coming into this season. Fellow sophomore Brian Blechen and senior Chaz Walker were expected to be Utah's main guys at the linebacker position. While Blechen and Walker have been solid so far this season, Reilly has stood out and emerged as defensive weapon for the Utes. Reilly's three forced fumbles leads the Pac-12 and is third best in the entire country. These three fumbles all came against BYU. He had two sacks in that game too. Stopping Reilly will be a main priority for the Huskies offensive line.
Washington fans, head on over to UW Dawg Pound for in-depth pre-game analysis leading up to Saturday. For more on Utah football, check out Block U.