Utah has not lost a step on offense heading into a late-night clash with Arkansas in Salt Lake City on Saturday.
The No. 20 Utes were unstoppable when it came to moving the chains against Idaho in the season opener. They coasted to a 66-14 victory over the Vandals while churning out 633 yards and nine touchdowns.
Utah (1-0) finished with more passing yards (269) and rushing yards (364) than Idaho’s total yards on offense (225). On first downs alone, the Utes averaged 8.6 yards per play.
Quality depth helped make Utah difficult to defend on offense. Ten different players had at least one carry and eight different players caught a pass.
“I think the biggest thing was the amount of guys that were involved in the offense,” Utah coach Morgan Scalley said. “That can create issues when you’re scheming for an offense. Who are their guys? And who do we need to take care of? And when you’ve got that many guys getting the ball, it can be a tough one.”
One factor driving the Utes’ success in their opener was the effectiveness of their rebuilt offensive line. Utah did not allow a sack over 60 minutes despite replacing all five starters up front from last season.
While Scalley said he’d like to see fewer hits on quarterback Devon Dampier this week, he came away encouraged by what he saw in the trenches last weekend.
“We had a good rotation there at the guard spot,” Scalley said. “I thought guys got quality reps. We’ll settle in on a starting five this week that hopefully can last us throughout the game.”
Making Utah’s offense feel the heat will be a tall task for an Arkansas team looking to prove it can be a contender again after several mediocre seasons.
The Razorbacks (1-0) relied on tough defense and ball control on offense to top North Alabama 31-14 in their season opener. Arkansas held the ball for 41 minutes and 27 seconds.
While the defense shined against the Lions, offense is a work in progress. Arkansas generated only 148 rushing yards and averaged 3.0 yards per carry. That won’t cut it against a Utah team known for typically fielding stout run defenses.
“You’re facing a tough Utah defense, so we’ve got to be creative,” Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield said. “We’ve got to find ways to run the ball effectively. I’ve done this a long time, 28 years, and there have been times where the run game had struggled getting going. The next week, it’s a different story.”
This is the first all-time meeting between Utah and Arkansas. The Utes are hosting a Southeastern Conference team for the second time in four seasons after downing Florida 24-11 in their 2023 season opener.
