No. 18 Utah vs. No. 5 Washington: How to watch, listen to or stream the game
No. 18 Utah (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12) at No. 5 Washington (9-0, 6-0 Pac-12)
Kickoff: Saturday, 1:30 p.m. MST.
Venue: Husky Stadium.
TV: Fox.
Livestream: foxsports.com/live.
Radio: ESPN 700 AM/92.1 FM.
Series: Washington leads 13-2.
Weather: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the low 50s at kickoff.
The trends
For Utah: The Utes lost 35-6 to Oregon at Rice-Eccles Stadium two weeks ago before rebounding with a 55-3 win over Arizona State.
For Washington: The Huskies have had some close calls of late (15-7 win over Arizona State, 42-33 win over Stanford), but are undefeated with marquee wins over Oregon and USC, which Washington beat 52-42 last week.
What to watch for
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has been sensational this year, topping the leaderboard in terms of total passing yards. Helping him out are some talented wide receivers, Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk in particular. The two wideouts have combined for more receiving yards than Utah’s entire team.
Odunze has 989 yards and seven touchdowns on 56 catches, while Polk has 888 yards and eight scores on 51 receptions.
Utah’s secondary — Zemaiah Vaughn, Miles Battle, JaTravis Broughton, Tao Johnson and Smith Snowden at cornerback, along with Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki at safety — will have a tough challenge.
Key player
Michael Penix Jr., Washington quarterback: Perhaps the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, the left-handed quarterback is the engine of the nation’s most-productive offense. Penix Jr. has thrown for 3,201 yards and leads a Huskies offense that is scoring 41.7 points per game.
Penix Jr. has a big arm — he can beat you deep — and is accurate. He’s deft at avoiding the pass rush, too.
He’s also protected by one of the best offensive lines in the country and has talented weapons to throw to.
Related
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Quotable
“The thing that stands out obviously is the quarterback and the throw game. I mean, they’re leading the nation throwing the football, got an outstanding running back as well, although their focus is throwing the ball and they do it better than anybody in the country.” — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.
“They’re very physical ... being physical, being tough, it’s what they pride themselves on. It’s how they feel they’re going to go attack the game, and that’s been a big part of their success in winning back-to-back conference championships.” — Washington coach Kalen DeBoer.
Next up
Utah: at Arizona on Nov. 18
Washington: at Oregon State on Nov. 18.
Utah schedule
Aug. 31 — Utah 24, Florida 11.
Sept. 9 — Utah 20, Baylor 13.
Sept. 16 — Utah 31, Weber State 7.
Sept. 23 — Utah 14, UCLA 7.
Sept. 29 — Oregon State 21, Utah 7.
Oct. 14 — Utah 34, Cal 14.
Oct. 21 — Utah 34, USC 32.
Oct. 28 — Oregon 35, Utah 6.
Nov. 4 — Utah 55, Arizona State 3.
Nov. 11 — at Washington (1:30 p.m. MST, Fox).
Nov. 18 — at Arizona.
Nov. 25 — vs. Colorado.
