Six things to know about the Utah Utes

After having to sit out Saturday and not having any say in where it will go bowling, Ohio State now has a firm answer on travel plans for the holidays. With Michigan’s win over Iowa in the Big Ten Championship game in combination with Utah’s win over Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship, OSU will head to Pasadena to play the Utes in the Rose Bowl.

For a season that’s been a disappointment — at least with the standards that have been set during the last few years — heading to southern California to play in arguably the most iconic bowl game is at least a consolation prize of sorts.

And Ohio State will need to get its focus right because Utah will be a formidable foe. The Utes didn’t just beat an Oregon team twice the Buckeyes lost to earlier in the year, they did it in a relatively dominant fashion in both instances.

Being that Utah has done most of their work late when most of you are probably in bed, we thought we’d give you five things to know about Utah as the Buckeyes prepare to play the Utes in the “Grandaddy of them all.”

The two programs have only met once

Ohio State and Utah have only met once, and it was one to forget for Utah. The Buckeyes dominated the Utes in 1986 when the two faced off in Columbus. The final score was 64-6, but that was before the Utes’ program grew into a Power Five school. There’s no way this one will be anything close to that.

Utah is coached by a former Urban Meyer assistant

Dec 3, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham reacts during the 2021 Pac-12 Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks at Allegiant Stadium. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham has been a staple of the Utes program for a long time. He’s a guy that’s been out west for his entire college playing and coaching career, but he crossed paths with former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer in 2003 when Meyer was named the head coach in Salt Lake City.

Meyer retained Whittingham in 2003 who had been Utah’s defensive coordinator since 1995. He worked under Meyer in 2003 and 2004 and helped the Utes make it to a BCS Bowl with an undefeated season. We know Myer’s path from there.

Whittingham was elevated to head coach when Meyer took the job at Florida in 2005, and has been there ever since. He has built a solid, well-coached, tough-nosed program.

The Utes like to run the ball

Dec 3, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes running back Tavion Thomas (9) scores on a 2-yard touchdown run against the Oregon Ducks in the second half during the 2021 Pac-12 Championship Game at Allegiant Stadium. Utah defeated Oregon 38-10. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Ohio State will have to find a way to be better defensively than it was against Michigan. That’s because Utah has a very similar attack that it will employ on the ground. The offensive line is a physical bunch and will look to control the game as it did against Oregon, keep the OSU offense off the field, and just outwork the Buckeyes. The Utes are No. 14 in the nation, averaging 216.1 yards on the ground per contest. OSU’s manhood will be challenged.

Utah won nine of its last ten

Nov 30, 2019; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes fans show their spirit against the Colorado Buffaloes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

If you kind of lost track of Utah early in the season, we don’t blame you. The Utes started slow out of the gate, dropping two of their first three games. After losses at BYU and San Diego State, Utah then when on a rip-roaring tear in the Pac-12, winning nine of its last ten games, including the Pac-12 Championship game. The lone loss came surprisingly at Oregon State, but everything else was a win in surgical and methodical fashion. No loss was by more than nine points either, so don’t expect an easy road for OSU.

Utah is quite good against the pass

Oct 30, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers (4) is sacked by Utah Utes linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) during the fourth quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

This isn’t your Michigan State matchup where the defense has to stop the run first then let the offense throw lasers down the field. Instead, Utah is fairly stingy against the pass, giving up a respectable 195.3 yards per game. That’s good for No. 24 in the country, so Ohio State will have to find be a little more patient than some games this season and establish the running game as well.

Utah's defense is statistically better than Michigan's

Perhaps nothing should get Ohio State players’ attention more than the fact that Utah’s total yards allowed on defense is actually better than what Michigan has given up, a team that really made the Buckeyes work to finish off drives. Utah is giving up just 315.4 yards per game, good for No. 12 in the country. Obviously, it’s hard to compare apples to apples there across the board with the schedule, but we saw what the Utes did to Oregon twice.

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