The undefeated California Golden Bears will travel to Salt Lake City to face the undefeated Utah Utes in a Pac-12 showdown. The Bears and Utes are both sitting at the top of the Pac-12 North, and the winner on Saturday night will take control of their own destiny in the conference.
California is led by top NFL prospect Jared Goff, who reportedly has been compared to Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan by five NFL personnel executives. The Golden Bears quarterback has thrown for 1,630 yards with 15 touchdowns in five games this season. Goff and California's offense is the seventh best passing team in college football right now in terms of yards.
Goff's top target is junior wide receiver Kenny Lawler, who has already recorded eight touchdowns this season. Lawler has 399 receiving yards on 27 receptions this season and will look to continue his dominance Saturday against the Utes.
California will have a tough test facing a fifth ranked Utah team that's defense has been dominant. Utah has given up an average of 18.75 points per game and will look to keep Goff and the Golden Bears offense in check Saturday night.
While Utah's defense may be one of their strengths, their offense can put up big numbers too. In Utah's last game, they put up 62 points against the Oregon Ducks, and senior quarterback Travis Wilson is showing why he is a legitimate threat. Wilson passed for 227 yards against the Ducks and threw four touchdown passes.
Wilson will look to continue where he left off against the Ducks, but Utah has not played since Sept. 26. The concern with two weeks between games is that Utah could come out flat, but head coach Kyle Whittingham will likely have his players fired up for their biggest challenge yet.
Utah will likely look to take control of the time of possession by handing the ball of to their senior running back Devontae Booker. Booker has 106 carries this season for 443 yards with four touchdowns. The Utes will likely look for their run game to open up the passing game Saturday night.
This game could determine who wins the Pac-12 North this season, and both coaches will likely let their teams know what's at stake. The game starts at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Utes radio broadcast, click here, and for the Golden Bears radio broadcast, go here.
