SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Undefeated Utah still has plenty to prove when the Utes battle Houston on Saturday night.
asserted
Utes → have → night
The No. 10 Utes (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) are off to their best start since 2015 but have piled up wins against a weak schedule.
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Utes → pile → schedule
None of Utah’s first six opponents have a record above .500 at the season’s midway point.
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None → have → point
Playing the No. 14 Cougars should offer a more accurate measure of where the Utes stack up against other Big 12 title contenders.
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Utes → play → contenders
“It’s a good opportunity to show the world what we can do,” Utah safety Rabbit Evans said.
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Evans → ’ → what
“We’re excited.
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We → ’re → ?
We’re practicing well, so we’ll be ready to go.”
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we → practice → ?
Houston (6-1, 3-1) comes into Salt Lake City more battle-tested after earning victories over then-No. 18 Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and Oregon State.
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Houston → come → State
Earning a 35-32 win over the Cowboys made the Cougars bowl eligible after seven games for the second straight season.
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Cougars → earn → season
Houston went 4-8 in each of its first two seasons in the Big 12.
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Houston → go → 12
“I told my guys after the game, ‘Don’t discredit that.
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I → tell → that
It’s a big deal,’” Houston coach Willie Fritz said.
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Fritz → ’ → ?
Houston has no room for error in its pursuit of a Big 12 title.
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Houston → have → title
After suffering a two-point loss to Texas Tech in their league opener, a setback to Utah would effectively remove the Cougars from the title chase before November.
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setback → suffer → November
Beating a Top 10 team on the road will hinge on what Conner Weigman can do against a stout Utes defense.
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Weigman → beat → defense
Weigman will make it tough for Utah to get stops.
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Utah → make → stops
He passed for 343 yards and five touchdowns against Oklahoma State – both career-highs.
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He → pass → State
Weigman leads the Big 12 with 20 TD passes.
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Weigman → lead → passes
“We do our homework,” Fritz said.
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Fritz → do → homework
“We don’t want to get a guy in here that: one, doesn’t have the ability to play, and two, isn’t going to fit in with our culture.
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that → want → culture
He does both of those things.”
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He → do → things
Utah’s offense will pose an equally stiff challenge for Houston on defense.
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offense → pose → defense
The Utes rank ninth nationally in total offense, amassing 486.5 yards per game, and sit atop the Big 12 in scoring offense at 40.2 points per game.
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Utes → rank → game
Utah was inconsistent at finishing drives in a 27-24 victory over Colorado.
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Utah → finish → Colorado
The Utes scored three touchdowns in six red zone trips.
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Utes → score → trips
Devon Dampier threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns but had two interceptions and completed just 58.5% of his pass attempts against the Buffaloes.
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Dampier → throw → Buffaloes
Dampier had a completion rate of 66% or better in each of his first five games.
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Dampier → have → games
“There’s a lot we left out there and a lot to clean up,” Utah coach Morgan Scalley said.
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Scalley → ’ → ?
“And if you’re a competitor, that’s exactly how you should feel.
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you → ’re → ?
Do you celebrate the win?
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you → celebrate → win
Yes, because those are hard to come by.
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those → come → ?
But we understand that type of performance is probably not going to be good enough going forward.”
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type → understand → performance
Common Ground
Utah and Houston mirror one another in their offensive proficiency this season.
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Utah → mirror → proficiency
A strong running game is a common catalyst for breeding that success.
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game → breed → success
Both teams boast nearly identical production on the ground.
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teams → boast → ground
The Cougars average 220.3 rushing yards per game while the Utes are tallying 220.2 per contest.
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Utes → average → contest
Wayshawn Parker, Utah’s leading rusher, has become a more dangerous runner against conference opponents.
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Parker → become → opponents
Parker is averaging 147.7 rushing yards in three Big 12 games — the most of any player in the league.
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Parker → average → league
Makhi Hughes and Re’Shaun Sanford II form a productive backfield tandem for Houston.
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Hughes → form → Houston
The duo has run for 904 yards and five touchdowns through seven games.
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duo → run → games
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
