BYU Cougars at Utah Utes
Saturday, 9/15/12, 10:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: BYU -4
Current Betting Line: BYU -3
Opening Total: 46.5
Current Total: 46.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
BYU and Utah are set for the 88th meeting in the Deseret First Duel rivalry game, with Saturday’s visitor winning 20 of the last 34 meetings. The Cougars are a confident team after earning victories in their first two games, as the coaching staff started to look ahead to this matchup in last week’s 45-13 victory over Weber State as 38.5-point home favorites. “You think a little bit about what you have to do the next week,” stated Cougars head coach Bronco Mendenhall. BYU has gone 2-6 ATS in the last eight games in this series.
The Cougars have won 10 of their last 11 games against the Utes when having a senior under center, winning those games by an average margin of 19 points. Quarterback Riley Nelson has thrown at least one touchdown in 10 consecutive games, while the offense ranks 17th nationally in converting 53.1 percent of its third downs. BYU came into the season with a goal of being balanced, which is going in the right direction after two contests, averaging 305 yards passing and 184 yards rushing. Since Mendenhall took over the defensive coordinator duties again, the stop unit ranks second nationally in allowing just 93.5 rushing yards per game.
Utah leads the series 55-34-4, as this is the second-longest rivalry in school history. The Utes have won four of the last five meetings in Salt Lake City, while they also look to improve upon their 8-6 record in Homecoming games inside Rice-Eccles Stadium, which opened in 1998. The program looks to bounce back from a 27-20 overtime loss to the Utah State Aggies, which ultimately also served as quarterback Jordan Wynn’s final game. He is retiring after a shoulder injury, as he’s undergone three surgeries since 2010. Utah is 0-2 ATS as a home underdog the last two-plus seasons.
The Utes will now be led offensively by senior Jon Hays and Travis Wilson under center, but they will want to get the ball in the hands of running back John White, as they’ve gone 9-0 when he rushes for 100 or more yards dating back to last year. He ranks fourth in the Pac-12 Conference and 29th nationally in averaging 107.5 yards per game.
Sports bettors will likely back the Cougars due to their 8-1 ATS mark in their last nine games, while the Utes are 2-7 ATS at home.
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