EDITORIAL BY GRAYDON FOX

Overview:

On Saturday, September 15^th, the (1-1) Washington Huskies will be on the road to take on the (2-0) Utah Utes.

The Crowd:

The Crowd projects a final score of Washington 31.1 – Utah 22.7 with an over/under of 53.8.

Lou Holtz and Mark May:

Lou is predicting a final score of Utah 31 – Washington 30.

Mark is predicting a final score of Washington 26 – Utah 17.

2018-19 Statistics (130 total teams):

Passing offense: Washington 366.5 PPG > Utah 302.5 YPG

Rushing offense: Washington 148.5 YPG > Utah 168.0 YPG

Scoring offense: Washington 30.5 PPG > Utah 29.0 PPG

Scoring defense: Utah 8.0 PPG > Washington 12.0 PPG

Passing defense: Utah 62.0 YPG > Washington 187.0 YPG

Rushing defense: Utah 81.5 YPG > Washington 154.0 YPG

Turnover Margin Per Game: Utah 0.0 > Washington -2.0

Summary:

Washington is (1-1) with a victory over North Dakota and a five-point loss to #9 ranked Auburn.  The Huskies rank 74^th in points per game (30.5) and 21^st in scoring defense (12.0 PPG).  More has to be expected from senior quarterback Jake Browning who has completed only 59% of his passes for 609 yards with three touchdowns and three picks.  Ball security is crucial for a Huskies team who loves to run the football and control the clock.  Star running back Myles Gaskin is only averaging 4.0 yards per carry this season and is due for a breakout performance.  Washington’s offensive line was picked apart by Auburn but keep in mind they have one of the best defensive lines in the country.  Washington has dominated Utah with a (10-1) head to head record against the Utes.

Utah is a perfect (2-0) with wins over Northern Illinois and Weber State.  The Utes rank 77^th in points per game (29.0) and 5^th in scoring defense (8.0).  The fact Utah struggled to pass protect against Northern Illinois does not bode well against an imposing Huskies defensive line.  Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley has completed 63% of his passes for 565 yards with four touchdowns to two interceptions.  Running back Zack Moss has been a workhorse averaging (6.8) yards per carry.  Britain Covey is the only perimeter threat that the Huskies have to keep a close eye on.  Utah’s defense has been phenomenal in the early portion of the season but their strength of schedule leaves many questions.

Bottom Line:

Jake Browning will need to eliminate the costly mistakes that cost his team the Auburn game.  This is the week Washington rides Myles Gaskin who will grind out the tough yards against a strong Utah defense.  The Huskies escape with a narrow road win and get one step closer to the playoff picture.

Contest Rules:

To be eligible to win a prize in any contest at The Crowd’s Line, you must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the United States or Canada. You must also submit your score prediction on our official prediction tool (blog widget), and include a valid email address. Contest winners are determined according to The Crowd’s Line scoring methodology. If more than one entrant has the same winning score, final contest rankings and prize winners are selected by random draw. Only one entry per person is allowed for each contest; multiple entries from a single player will be deemed invalid. There are no prize substitutions or exchanges available from The Crowd’s Line.

All prizes will be sent by e-mail within two weeks after the conclusion of each contest.