Utah football: 3 bold Utes predictions for Week 7 game vs. USC

Week 7 of the 2022 college football season brings one of the biggest Pac-12 games of the year along with it. No. 20 Utah football hopes to get back on track against No. 7 USC in a crucial west-coast showdown. This game has huge implications in the conference, so let's make some bold predictions for it.

The Utes are coming off a disappointing 42-32 road loss to UCLA last Saturday. This marked the Utes' second loss of the season, which likely ends their College Football Playoff hopes. Still, they are in the mix for the Pac-12 title and are out to prove they've still got it.

Meanwhile, the Trojans are riding high at 6-0 this season. Most recently, USC beat up on Washington State 30-14 to move to 4-0 in conference play. The Trojans have looked a bit shaky on the road, though, and this will be their toughest test yet.

With all that said, let's dive into some bold Utah football predictions for this Pac-12 showdown.

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3. Tavion Thomas scores two rushing touchdowns

The Utes have thrived off their rushing attack, which has averaged over 200 yards per game this season. Utah has a host of good runners to go to, but none of them are more important than Thomas.

The junior running back leads the Utes with 386 yards and five touchdowns this season. He hasn't been quite as electric as last season, when he ran for over 1,000 yards and 21 touchdowns, but he is still the centerpiece of the offense. After a poor performance against Oregon State, Thomas bounced back to rush for 152 yards and a score against UCLA.

The Trojans have played well this season, but they have had some trouble defending the run. USC sits ninth in the Pac-12 in run defense, allowing 152.7 yards per game. UCLA is second in the conference at 99 rushing yards allowed per game, and Thomas still ran well against that defense.

If Utah football wants to win this game, it will have to feed its star running back. Racking up the yards certainly helps, but the key is to get into the end zone. If he can do that multiple times, the Utes will be in a great position on Saturday night.

2. Clark Phillips III picks off Caleb Williams twice

Despite the team's struggles this season, Utah's defense has been rock solid for the most part. With 19 points and 315.8 yards allowed per game, the Utes are second in the Pac-12 in scoring defense and first in total defense.

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No player has been more important to Utah's defense than Phillips. The sophomore cornerback has been the epitome of a ball-hawk this year, with five interceptions in six games. He not only has half of Utah's interceptions, but he is tied for the most in the country so far.

Phillips and the Utah football defense will face Williams on Saturday night, easily the best quarterback they've seen so far. The first-year Trojan has taken great care of the ball this season, with only one interception on 188 pass attempts. However, this will also be the best defense he has seen this season, and it will be a battle of strengths.

The Utes need to limit Williams if they want to win, and there's no better way to do that than by taking the ball out of his hands. They will be counting on Phillips to force more key takeaways in this game. If he can do that, Utah has a huge edge in this game.

1. Utah ends USC's undefeated season

Some may think that Utah has nothing left to play for now that it has lost two games and effectively out of the CFP race. However, that couldn't be further from the truth.

The Utes are 2-1 in conference play, and still very much alive in the early Pac-12 race. Beating the Trojans, who lead the Pac-12, and claiming a tie-breaker over them would be huge for the Utes salvaging this season. Not to mention, they'd love to spoil USC's undefeated campaign and hurt their CFP chances.

The biggest motivating factor for Utah football is that this game is at home. The Utes consistently draw some of the raucous crowds in the country, and they want to send their fans home happy. USC was also the last team to beat Utah at home back in 2020, so the Utes want some revenge as well.

USC also struggled mightily in their previous road game, squeaking by Oregon State 17-14. The Trojans may have escaped the Beavers with a sloppy performance, but they won't be so lucky against the Utes. Utah will win this game, and end USC's bid for an undefeated season.