Under the direction of new coach Urban Meyer from Bowling Green, the Utes (1-1) will employ a variety of three and four-wide receiver, single-tailback sets. Utah's senior running back Brandon Warfield will continue to see plenty of carries tonight and is bringing back-to-back 100-yard games into this contest. Warfield ranks fourth in the nation in rushing (177 yards per game) and has a team best four TDs. Expect him to be the workhorse unless he becomes ineffective against an eight man front.
One thing on Cal's side tonight though is the broken wheel in Meyer's system. Quarterback Brett Elliott, who suffered a broken left wrist in last weekend's game against Texas A&M, will not play. Either former starter Lance Rice or sophomore Alex Smith will fill in. Everything I see has Smith getting the initial nod. Either way, were expecting some serious one and two looks at reciever with nothing more than a vanilla flavor. Cal's ability to stack the line will dictate how much the Utes run, but my mathematical numbers call for nothing under 38 rushing attempts with a passing high of 31.
The Bears have no injuries at QB, yet the situation behind center cannot be described as stable. Reggie Robertson, who played all four quarters against the Rams last week, leads the Pac-10 with 647 yards and eight touchdowns. Yet, the junior has played in three games, something only three other teams in the nation have done thus far. Last Saturday's game against CSU he did manage to take every snap from center but that will not be the case tonight.
Aaron Rodgers continues to wait in the wings and has become an in-game decision for the second year coach, as opposed to the relative second-half assurance he was in the first two weeks of the season. Rodgers is a talented JUCO who brings in a strong 28-4 TD ratio a year ago.
Ive came across several articles including
this one about how Cal is solid with Robertson at QB and that Tedford is going to stick with him throughout. I simply dont believe it.
The Utes, like the Colorado State team that beat the Bears 23-21 on Saturday, play an aggressive brand of defense. Though their schemes are different, they also will challenge the Bears' sometimes struggling offense with blitzes and tight coverage in the secondary. Both QB's will be used tonight and there will be plenty of handoffs on either side of the ball.
The Golden Bears struggling secondary is a point of concern as they have strong tendencies to give up 'the big play'. That does not bode well as it could potentially limit the time that Utah would be on the field, but that alone will not keep me off this as a solid IX play. Meyer is a very heady coach and is well aware of his defensive depth in the thin Mountain West air.
Play is on:
Total pass completions made by Reggie Robertson Under 19'
