How to watch Utah football at UCF – Deseret News

On By Littum

Utah (4-7, 1-7) at UCF (4-7, 2-6)

  • Kickoff: Friday at 18.00 MST
  • Meeting place: FBC Mortgage Stadium
  • TV: Fox
  • Live stream: foxsports.com/live
  • Radio: ESPN 700 AM/92.1 FM
  • Series: First meeting
  • Weather: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the low 60s at kickoff, dropping to the low 50s by the end of the game

The trends

For Utah: The Utes will look to snap a seven-game losing streak that started Sept. 28 in a 23-10 home loss to Arizona. Utah’s most recent loss came against Iowa State last week after the Cyclones drove 75 yards in 4:20 to score a go-ahead touchdown. Fifth-string quarterback Luke Bottari, who came in after Isaac Wilson was injured, drove Utah to the Iowa State 35-yard line, but Cole Becker missed a 54-yard field goal.

For UCF: The Knights have lost seven of their last eight games, with the lone win coming against Arizona, 56-12, on Nov. 2. Since then, UCF lost at Arizona State and at West Virginia to secure a losing record.

What to watch out for

Once again, Utah’s starter for the final game of the season is Luke Bottari. Cam Rising, Isaac Wilson, Brandon Rose and Sam Huard are all out for the season, so the Utes will turn to their fifth-string quarterback.

Last year, Bottari scored two rushing touchdowns in Utah’s 23-17 win over Colorado, which also played its backup quarterback. In that win, Bottari passed the ball just 10 times, with running back Jaylon Glover leading the way with 107 rushing yards while Sione Vaki added 68.

Will we see a similar game plan against UCF – limited pass attempts from Bottari and an emphasis on running the ball?

The Knights have one of the better run defenses in the Big 12, allowing just 123.5 rushing yards, although BYU and West Virginia were recently able to eclipse 200 yards on the ground against the Knights. Utah will look to establish the ground game early, something the team has been unable to do in the last two contests. Bottari’s ability to run the ball could come in handy — he rushed for 47 yards against Iowa State — but he likely won’t catch the Knights off guard like the Cyclones.

Running back Micah Bernard, who is 78 yards short of 1,000 rushing yards this season, will need a big performance in his final game as a Ute for Utah to have a chance in this one. Bottari can throw if called upon, but offensive success will likely come down to whether Bernard and the Utes can get the ball moving on the ground.

Key player

RJ Harvey, UCF RB: The top running back in the country is clearly Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, who has rushed for 2,062 yards this year, but UCF’s RJ Harvey isn’t too far behind, rushing for 1,458 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.

He is the main reason why UCF’s offense racks up the most yards in the Big 12 — 454 yards per carry. game — despite going through three quarterbacks this season. The Knights finally settled on Dylan Rizk, who they turned to in the BYU loss, and he has started the last three games for UCF, throwing for 797 yards, five touchdowns and an interception on 68% accuracy.

Make no mistake, for the 10-point underdog Utes to have a chance to snap their seven-game losing streak, they will have to bottle up Harvey, which is no easy feat, especially for a run defense that has been good , but not elite, throughout the season.

Citable

“It will be a challenge for our defense this week to face that (offense), especially the rushing attack.” – Utah coach Kyle Whittingham

“We’re playing Utah, a team in the same boat as we are, same record. If you look at them and time of possession, they’re one of the best teams in college football in time of possession. The defense, I think they’re number two in the country. They play a really good defense, they stick to the football.” — UCF coach Gus Malzahn

Next up

  • Utah: Season over
  • UCF: Season over

Utah Schedule/Results

  • Aug. 29: Utah 49, Southern Utah 0.
  • Sept. 7: Utah 23, Baylor 12.
  • Sept. 14: Utah 38, Utah State 21.
  • Sept. 21: Utah 22, Oklahoma State 19.
  • Sept. 28: Arizona 23. Utah 10.
  • October 5: Goodbye.
  • Oct. 11: Arizona State 27, Utah 19.
  • Oct. 19: TCU 13, Utah 7.
  • Oct. 26: Houston 17, Utah 14.
  • November 2: Goodbye.
  • Nov. 9: BYU, 22, Utah 21.
  • Nov. 16: Colorado 49, Utah 24.
  • Nov. 23: Iowa State 31, Utah 28.
  • Nov. 29: at UCF (6 p.m., Fox).

All times Mountain Time Zone.