Utah looks to keep its Big 12 title and College Football Playoff hopes alive as it travels outside its home state for the first time in almost two months for a …
Utah looks to keep its Big 12 title and College Football Playoff hopes alive as it travels outside its home state for the first time in almost two months for a matchup in Waco, Texas, with Baylor.
Sitting just outside of the top 12 in the latest CFP rankings, the Utes (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) can stay in the hunt if they handle their business down the stretch of the regular season, though they’ll need to corral Sawyer Robertson and the Bears’ (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) potent passing attack if they’re to leave McLane Stadium with a victory.
Ahead of Saturday’s contest (5 p.m. MT, ESPN2), Utah Utes on SI caught up with Baylor Bears on SI beat writer Josh Crawford for some added perspective on the Big 12 bout.
Crawford broke down Robertson’s game, Baylor’s keys to pulling off an upset, his X-factor to watch out for and much more.
What’s been the most surprising aspect of this season for Baylor, a team that had Big 12 title aspirations coming in?
“The lack of defense honestly has not been a surprise, with it being an unfortunate trend in the Dave Aranda era, despite him making his chops as a defensive coordinator. While that has ultimately been the downfall for this team, I would say the biggest surprise has been the up-and-down nature of Sawyer Roberson after some significant preseason hype.”
“While his raw passing numbers will wow you, his tape is littered with missed throws throughout the season, with him near the bottom of the Big 12 starters in terms of completion in percentage and 3rd in the conference with 7 interceptions. The defense hasn’t done him any favors, but that big jump in efficiency and downfield accuracy that many anticipated did not seem to materialize.”
The last time Sawyer Robertson faced Utah, he completed less than 50% of his passes and threw two interceptions in a 20-13 loss for the Bears (Oct. 9, 2023). How has Robertson improved since that game and what’s been key to his development?
“Even with my response to the last question, I think there’s been significant improvement for Robertson in terms of comfortability, going into this season for the first time knowing he was the starter, and in his second year in OC Jake Spavital’s system. That shows itself in the amount of throws Spavital trusts him to make despite a solid run game behind him, and the connection he’s been able to form with TE Michael Trigg.”
“Robertson actually mentioned in a preseason podcast that he has some extra motivation going into this game with his subpar performance last time against the Utes, so we’ll see if that leads to a standout performance.”
Baylor had its best performance on the defensive side of the ball in its 30-3 win over UCF last time out. What about that game should give the Bears optimism heading into this Utah game?
“There is only so much you can take away from a matchup defensively, when the offense doesn’t really present a ton of dynamic options. That being said, the Bears were able to keep UCF’s solidly successful run game in check, and didn’t really allow chunk plays through the air, which has been a big problem so far this season.”
“I think the biggest thing the Bears gain from that performance is just a boost in confidence. With the porous nature of that unit this season, having a no-touchdown performance now sets a standard they can look to emulate against the Utes.”
What will be key for the Bears if they’re to pull off an upset on Saturday?
“The biggest key for a potential Bears upset will be forcing Devon Dampier to be uncomfortable. Even with his 67% completion percentage this year, he’s at his best when he’s creating off-schedule and outside the pocket. The Bears have been relatively good in stopping mobile quarterbacks like Kevin Jennings and Avery Johnson this year, and if they can continue that trend against Dampier, they’ll give themselves a muncher’s chance.”
“Also, one thing this secondary has been able to do is turn quarterbacks over, so if Dampier gives one or even two to this Baylor secondary, this Baylor offense is bound to convert and put pressure on Utah to score.”
Who’s a potential X-factor for Baylor in this game?
“Jacob Redding. The interception leader for the Bears this season, Redding, has been crucial in making plays in the backend and coming and tackling in the box this year. I see Utah having an advantage in the trenches on both sides of the ball, so if Baylor’s defense is going to make an impact, Redding will most likely be leading the charge.”
Predict the final score — who wins and why?
“This win would be HUGE for the Bears’ psyche, but I just don’t see it happening. Between Utah’s pass rush on a shaky Baylor O-Line and the physicality of their offensive line, I think Baylor fights for their home fans but ultimately this is a solid Utah victory, 34-20.”
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Source: Utah News