The Utah Utes play host to the Washington State Cougars on Saturday in a rematch of last year's exciting overtime snow game in Pullman. WSU quarterback Connor Halliday played through a lacerated liver and nearly brought the Cougars back from a double-digit deficit for the victory, but fell half a yard short at the end of regulation.
Utah ended WSU's bowl hopes with that win last season, and they can do the same on Saturday. Halliday won't be at QB this time, as Jeff Tuel will receive his second-consecutive start. The senior signal-caller seems to be getting the hang of the Air Raid offense, and put up over 400 yards passing against a stout Stanford defense last week.
It was the WSU offensive line that let the team down against the Cardinal, and Utah will pose a problem in that area with senior defensive tackle Star Lotulelei. He is a sure-fire first-round pick next April and has the ability to make game-changing plays.
The game will be a good test for the Cougs, who seem to be showing improvement. It's been the M.O. of WSU to follow up encouraging performances with duds the last few years, so it will be interesting to see if they can avoid that under a new coaching staff.
Game time, TV schedule: Noon PT, Pac-12 Networks
Radio: For a list of WSU radio affiliates, go here. For a live internet radio feed, head to mynorthwest.com.
Spread: Utah favored by 11.