Three Keys To Victory For Utah Football Against Baylor Bears

SALT LAKE CITY – Week two is here for the No. 11-ranked Utah Football program! The Utes are looking for a good performance tomorrow against a solid Baylor Bears squad. Here’s a look at three keys to victory for Kyle Whittingham’s squad.

Both teams come into this one 1-0 with wins over FCS opponents. Though this isn’t a conference game, this is a significant opportunity to get a win over a Big 12 opponent.

Want to enjoy football instead of worrying about parking and other nuisances? Check out our comprehensive fan guide for @Utah_Football's game against the Baylor Bears! 🏈#GoUtes #Big12FB https://t.co/Isk4fzeSP1

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 5, 2024

RELATED: How To Watch Utah Utes Football Vs. Baylor Bears

Getting off to a good start is important to the 2024 season and improving to 2-0 is vital to that start. Here are the three keys to Utah’s matchup against the Baylor Bears.

Utah Football is about controlling the trenches 

Physicality and toughness are two terms often used to describe Utah Football. That’s largely due to the play of both offensive & defensive lines at Utah. The big guys are the tone-setters for the team. Utah’s success typically hinges on getting good play from these two units.

After allowing a hit on Cam Rising on the first play from scrimmage, the offensive line allowed just one other pressure in 19 other pass snaps. Rising and the offense needs that sort of pass-blocking efficiency against the Bears.

The run game averaged 4.7 yards per carry last week against Southern Utah. The offensive line was credited with 3.31 line yards- the average amount of rushing yards gained before contact. Last season, Utah ranked No. 71 in the country in this metric with an average of 3.07 line yards. If they can maintain the 3.31 average against Baylor, that would put them right around No. 25 in the country.

On the other side of the ball, Baylor ranked No. 108 in the country last season in defensive line yards allowed at 3.27. That number- anything above 3.00 defensive line yards allowed, typically bodes well for opposing rushing attacks. As every single opponent eclipsed 100 rushing yards against Baylor, who allowed 5.04 yards per attempt.

Defensively, the Utes allowed 2.91 line yards, which led to an average of 3.12 rushing yards per attempt and seven opponents under 100 rushing yards last season. After a shaky start against SUU, the Utes will need an improved effort in this phase of the game against Baylor.

Against Daequan Finn and the Baylor passing attack, the pass rush will need to be more effective. Finn showed last week that he isn’t immune to mistakes, and the best way to generate more of those is through pressure and confusion. Getting to him in the pocket, keeping defenders in coverage, mixing up looks, all of that will play a role in limiting Finn’s effectiveness.

Increased offensive balance

With a week one matchup against an FCS opponent, snaps were limited for first-string guys. The amount of work was limited and thus, only a few guys were truly able to make an impact in the game.

Utah’s offense should see more time on the field this week, which puts an emphasis on increased balanced. Not so much in terms of run & pass, more so in regards to individuals. There are a lot of options for Rising to utilize in the offense, increasing the distribution balance in this one will be key.

Baylor’s defense is primarily a quarters coverage team but they will mix up cover-1 & cover-3 looks as well. An offensive coordinator like Andy Ludwig will know how to create space and opportunities for certain pass catchers- say Dorian Singer for example, especially against a zone coverage team.

Still, it’s all about executing and that will largely fall on the shoulders of Rising. Even distribution shouldn’t come at the expense of making the right decision. Rising made good decisions with the ball last week and it led to a short night for him and others.

RELATED: Utah Football Turning Focus To Improvement Ahead Of Matchup With Baylor Bears

Dictate tempo, control the game

Baylor is coming to Rice-Eccles Stadium, a place that has been quite tough on opponents. Whether it’s the Utes simply playing good football, the raucous crowd, or the elevation affects, it’s just a tough place to play. Utah needs to use it all to their advantage in this one.

Toughness & physicality are the calling cards of Whittingham’s program. Play a physical brand of ball on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Set the tone early on with the offensive & defensive lines.

Nothing is more exciting than an offense executing at an efficient, if not explosive level. Get the fanbase engaged early with good execution on that side of the ball. Balance and utilization of multiple weapons demands a high level of attention and assignment sound football. Make Baylor work as hard mentally as they will need to physically.

Don’t be afraid to change the tempo. Include hurry-up offense when needed or slow it down for a ground & pound as well. Make Baylor work and keep them on their toes. If Utah gets the run game going like Whittingham believes they can, provide the knockout blows in the second half.

Utah Football Schedule

You can find Utah football’s conference schedule here.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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