Game Preview: Utah at Washington

"Under the island ... middle of a mountain
There is a big bad... boomin' system
Blowin' speakers... woofers and tweetersAmplifiers... melted wires
The parties exploded... the core is corroded
Under ground... the Puget Sound
Cause a shiftin'... and a drifin'
Big black boom box...stuck in the hot rock
It's in there flowin'... it's in there growin'
You don't believe me... that this scenery
Could be a cold blooded killer
It's gonna blow... Volcano"
- The Presidents of the USA

Who: Utah @ UW

Where: CLink Field, Seattle, Washington

When: Saturday, November 10, 2012, at 7:30 pm Pacific Time Watch the game on the Pac-12 Network with Kevin Calabro, Adam Archuleta and Yogi Roth.

Here's the preview this week from the Pac-12 Network.

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History

These two teams have a long history, albeit the games were played sporadically. The Dawgs lead this series all-time at 7-0. Only one of those games was played away from Husky Stadium, and that was last years game where the Huskies knocked out the Utes' starting QB en route to a 31-14 victory.

Last Week

The Huskies came out firing from both ends last week, in a slop-fest that left the Dawgs with a win, and at the exact same time a very bitter taste in their mouths. Eight turnovers, and a whole lot of yards later, the Dawgs came away with a 21-13 victory over the Cal Bears. For the second time in three years the Huskies knocked the Bears out of a bowl game, giving them their 7th loss of the season.

Utah hosted Wazzu, though they weren't the best host. Washington State came into the game hoping for its first conference win of the season and left after a thorough spanking at the hands of the Utes.

Numbers

0 - number of wins the Utes have on the road this season

3 - number of kickoffs the Utes have run back for a TD in the last 2 games (Reggie Dunn was 1 for 1 last week against Wazzu

12 - number of points Utah is averaging away from home this season

35 - number yards Utah is averaging per kickoff this season

38 - number of points Utah is averaging at home

81 - number of rushing yards Utah averaged in first 5 games (not counting Northern Colorado)

92 - remember this number ... this guy is a beast

176 - number of rushing yards Utah has averaged against the last three teams

Questions needing answers

Offense: Can we score more than 21 points? Please? How will ASJ's ankle hold up this week? Can Bishop Sankey break 200 yards this week? How will the pass protection hold up against Utah's front 4 goons? Can we stop it with the turnovers? Who will our third receiver be? Will Jaydon Mickens hold on to the football when he gets on the other side of the safeties? How accurate will Kieth Price be this week?

Defense: Can we stop the run? Will the D be able to contain Travis Wilson? How about an effective pass rush? Can we get into the Freshman's head early? Will Trufant be able to play this week? Can Travis Peters get another interception? How will the "Shaquinator" wow us this week? Is Danny Shelton really that mean?

Miscellaneous: Why can't Utah play well in it's first half of the season? Are Ute fans really just second rate BYU fans? Do their bishops know they are Ute fans? When will Utah start competing for the South Crown? Will the crowd make things difficult for the Ute QB? Will our seniors go out with a bang?

Both of these teams are riding a two game winning streak, and both of these teams could use some momentum. The Dawgs have been significantly different on the road than at home, and so have the Utes. The Utes better watch out, since there is a volcano ready to blow, as the UW offense finally comes out ready to drive the field without turning the ball over, and the UW defense comes out hitting hard and fast. It's way over due, but the Dawgs need to blow up, in the good way of course, on offense, and this week is a great week to do it.