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The Washington St. Cougars head on the road to face the Utah Utes on Saturday, something of a break from their recent schedule. The Cougars have lost their last five, three of which were played against top-20 teams.
The latest was a 24-17 loss to the Stanford Cardinal that saw the offensive line give up 10 sacks, while the defense was putting in their best performance of the season. They held the Stanford offense to just 256 yards, including 136 through the air, both of which were season lows. They did give up a go-ahead touchdown midway through the third quarter, and Stanford was able to put the game out of reach when they returned an interception of senior quarterback Jeff Tuel for a touchdown.
Tuel has 1309 yards on the season with a 66.8 completion percentage, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. The Cougar rushing attack hasn't done much to carry its share of the offense: The team is averaging just 33.5 yards on the ground, and no one player has a season total above 200 yards.
Utah is coming off an upset of the California Golden Bears, a 49-27 win that snapped a four-game losing streak. Quarterback injuries and struggles have severely hampered their offense, and their averages (193 passing yards per game, 115.4 on the ground) reflect that impact. Travis Wilson is the most recent man under center. He's 1-1 in games he has started, completing 31 of 52 passes with one touchdown and three interceptions.
Game Time: 12 p.m. PT
Television Coverage: Pac-12 Network
Odds: Utes favored by 11 points