Written by Tyler Pastorius
On Friday, November 30th in Santa Clara, California at Levi’s Stadium, the Pac-12 will look to claim a new champion in the conference when Utah goes again The University of Washington. Chris Petersen’s Huskies claimed the title recently in 2016 when they won in a dominant fashion against the Colorado Buffaloes 41-10. Friday has the potential to be a premier defensive matchup as the two schools are the top two scoring defenses in the Pac-12. However, earlier in the year the Huskies steamrolled the Utes with a 21-7 victory led behind a strong defensive performance and a 143-yard, 1 TD performance from running back Myles Gaskin. Let’s take a deeper look to see if the Championship game will have a different turnout.
Looking at Utah first, the team has played with two quarterbacks this season as starting Junior QB – Tyler Huntley was injured with a broken left collarbone against ASU. When Huntley went down it was the next man up mentality as Freshman Jason Shelley took over the offense. Statistically speaking, it has been a decent performance for Shelley even though he has only played in four games. He has thrown three touchdowns with only interception throughout four games but has 723 yards. For someone coming into the season pretty late, that is a decent performance but going against a stout Husky defense, he is going to want to have a perfect game. There are rumors that Tyler Huntley will play in the game, but it can be a bigger risk playing him and possibly getting him reinjured and giving up a turnover.
Meanwhile, on the running back side of things, Junior Armand Shyne replaced Zack Moss, so this is a bit of a patched-up offense. On the defensive end, the Utes are ranked No. 5 nationally when playing against the run which will be a factor going against Myles Gaskin. However, the focus defensively can’t just be on Gaskin as Jake Browning can make plays happen out of the pocket.
For the Washington Huskies, they are going to look to repeat the win they had against Utah forcing a hard-hitting game with a heavy rush attack. With an offense led by seniors Browning and Gaskin, the experience and skill will play a factor, especially with head coach Chris Petersen, having been here before. Operating a high run offense will create plays downfield especially from the play action. With Junior wide receiver Aaron Fuller who has a had a quiet year nationally, Fuller is someone who can make those catches that make you say “wow” on any given play. This allows for more of a balanced attack for coach Peterson. On the other hand, coach Petersen puts his emphasis on defense which is why they are in the top 25 nationally when looking at defensive statistics for rushing and passing yards allowed. If Utah ends up starting Jason Shelley it may be a long night for the Utes since the offensive line could not handle the defensive front of the Huskies in the first matchup this year.
Looking at both sides of the field, it is hard to see Utah compete with the Huskies offense and defense. However, in a championship game especially against a rival, expect the play to be elevated. But being realistic it is hard to see freshman Shelley (if he gets the start) come into a Pac-12 Championship game under the lights (and also possibly in the rain as it has been raining around the area all week) against a stacked Husky defense that can pick a ball off of a deep route, a powerhouse linebacker core, and a front end that can put pressure on any team nationally. Rattling the young QB early will probably be an emphasis point for Chris Petersen’s Huskies. While on the offensive side for the Huskies I would expect a heavy run-based offense with Gaskin but also getting him involved into the passing game as well early to settle him in along with Browning. Later in the game, this will allow for more play action passes, giving the Huskies that option to take a shot downfield if they wish to. But keep in mind, Utah has a decent defense as well so limiting your mistakes and turnovers overall are going to be a huge key in this game not only for the Huskies but the Utes as well.
Overall, I think this game ends up being a defensive battle in the first half, but I see the Huskies blowing the roof off of the top and taking a controlling lead to win the game in a 21-7 victory. I expect Gaskin to have a great game with 2 touchdowns (1 rushing and 1 receiving) meanwhile the third touchdown is one of the receiving core possibly using Aaron Fuller as a decoy to get someone else open. This should be a good game to watch on Friday night and see how the Pac-12 plays out. Who do you guys have winning this Pac-12 showdown?
