#10 Utah at USC 6 PM PDT / 9 PM FS1
- The Utes travel to Los Angeles to take in some of the nightlife and play the Trojans in a Friday #Pac12AfterDark action. Utah is undefeated while the Trojans are 2-1 after a loss to unranked BYU on the road last week. Utah beat BYU in the Holy War in their season opener. Can the Trojans bounce back after a hard fought loss with a true freshman QB going against the best defense in the conference? The pressure is on Clay Helton again (insert shocked face emoji). Utah with a win in LA can go a long way towards securing that elusive Pac-12 South title.
Utah prospects to watch
1. Zack Moss 5’10 208 RB Senior
- Moss can argue that he is the best running back in the conference. He has pro level instincts and vision for the position. Not the best athlete but he gets by on power and the vision to avoid the tackles. He leads the nation in broken tackles by a RB. Would be ideal for a zone blocking system as he sees the hole and goes on one cut.
Its time to dig into the PFF College record books for Zack Moss. Thru 3 weeks of action, only 3 RBs have avg. more than 0.50 missed tackles forced per att. (2014-pres., min. 50 att.):
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 19, 2019
2019: Zack Moss (Utah) - 0.56
2017: David Montgomery (ISU) - 0.50
2015: Matt Davis (SMU) - 0.52 pic.twitter.com/vjEq8MtFlx
In this week's edition of Zack Moss is good pic.twitter.com/E0fwGwLbFs
— Addicted To Quack (@AddictedToQuack) August 30, 2019
2. Bradlee Anae 6’3 265 EDGE Senior
- Anae is the top edge rusher in this conference, no questions asked.
3. Britain Covey 5’8 170 WR Junior
- Prototypical slot receiver given his size. He’s a great route runner with underrated athleticism. Led the Utes in receiving last season and is on track to do so this year. Remains to be seen if he decides to declare for the draft.
4. Leki Fotu 6’5 323 DL Senior
- H/W/L is impressive. He has a developing pass rush arsenal. Very good explosion skills off the ball. Hand usage is very good. Well built upper half.
5. Julian Blackmon 6’1 187 S Senior
- Blackmon transitioned to safety from corner this season and he has lost very little. He has the length that NFL teams crave in DBs. Ball skills are a plus. Needs more functional strength as he is easily erased from the run game when going downhill.
Another week, another STRONG performance from Julian Blackmon in Utah's secondary. pic.twitter.com/Re9ZP3yezP
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 8, 2019
Tip drill! Nice moves on the pick 6 by Julian Blackmon. I'm sure the @seniorbowl folks are noticing #HolyWar pic.twitter.com/o2baPKTi88
— Addicted To Quack (@AddictedToQuack) August 30, 2019
6. Jaylen Johnson 6’0 190 CB Senior
- Johnson is an impressive physical cornerback prospect. Tackling is on point. Ball skills are great as well. He’s one of the better corners in the conference. Do not test this man in coverage.
Awesome ball skills by Utah CB Jaylen Johnson. Didn't commit PI and played the ball at the last second. Textbook #HolyWar pic.twitter.com/UQnKtfs03J
— Addicted To Quack (@AddictedToQuack) August 30, 2019
USC prospects to watch
1. Michael Pittman, Jr 6’4 215 WR Senior
- A particular red zone threat given his size and great ball skills. Plus route runner. Excellent catch radius and hands. Athletically, not the most inspiring but inside the 20, it’s hardly needed. The older brother of Oregon receiver Mycah and son of longtime NFL RB Michael Pittman, Sr.
In bounds, out of bounds, catch, no catch. Touchdown @MikePitt_Jr as seen on TV. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/604Hc4F47G
— USC Video (@USCVideo) September 18, 2019
2. Tyler Vaughns 6’2 185 WR Junior
- The “other” upperclassman receiver is pretty good in his own right. Lateral agility is a major plus along with his awareness. Ball skills are on point as well. Has some issues with press coverage. Frame could be an issue down the road.
3. Christian Rector 6’4 270 EDGE RS Senior
- Very good in the run game, holding up at the point of attack using his long arms. Not the most quick twitch athlete off the snap so he uses the long arms to keep the tackle at bay before going upfield. Not the most bendy athlete going around the corner. A run stopper at best.