For Utah: The Utes have lost six consecutive games, with their latest loss coming at the hands of Colorado in Boulder. In a 49-24 loss, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns with an interception, while Utah's offense, led by an ailing Isaac Wilson, floundered in the first half before finding signs of life in the second half to get back into the game before two late Colorado touchdowns iced the contest.
For Iowa State: After losing two straight games to open November, Iowa State kept its Big 12 title hopes alive with a 34-17 win over Cincinnati. Even if they win out, the Cyclones need some help. There are multiple scenarios, but the simplest one would be BYU and Colorado both losing one of their last two games. Iowa State has everything to play for on Saturday.
Iowa State runs a 3-3-5 defense with three safeties and two cornerbacks. It's not a foreign look for Utah's offensive staff -- TCU also utilized it against the Utes this season -- but the Cyclones have been very effective in it this season.
Iowa State enters the game with the best passing defense in not only the Big 12, but the nation. The 153.4 passing yards per game allowed by the Cyclones ranks No. 3 in the nation and is a huge reason for their 8-2 record.
The Cyclones' secondary has picked off opposing quarterbacks 14 times, and cornerbacks Darien Porter and Jontez Williams have been great all season. This is the best passing defense that Wilson has faced in his young career and will pose a big challenge for him.
Utah found a modicum of success in the second half against Colorado, as Wilson's decision-making drastically sped up and he utilized his tight ends to good results. He also threw one of the best balls of his career to Dorian Singer for Singer's first touchdown, but also threw an interception on a key fourth-quarter drive with the Utes down 11 and in prime field position.
We'll see if Wilson can build off of that second-half performance and cut down some of his interceptions as the Utes look for the upset.
"Extra meetings within the rules of course, but extra film time," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said of how the coaching staff is helping Wilson develop. "He comes in on his own and watches a ton of film So we're doing everything we can, he's doing everything he can to continue to develop and see things quicker. And that was another issue in the game particularly early on. It got better as the game wore on, but holding the ball too long and need to go through those reads and spit it out or tuck it and run."
Micah Bernard, Utah RB: It's Senior Day for Bernard, and he's hoping to have a memorable final performance at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Utah's run game was a major disappointment against Colorado, with the Utes generating just 31 total rushing yards. Sacks are counted against a team's total rushing yards, but even when you take out the -19 yards assigned to Wilson, that's only a paltry 50 rushing yards, which isn't going to get the job done.
If Utah is to upset Iowa State, it is going to need to run the ball, especially because the Cyclones' passing defense is so stout. Especially of late, defending the run has been the one weakness for Iowa State, which has allowed an average of 184.5 yards per game and has allowed 237 yards in a loss to Kansas and 287 in a win over Cincinnati last week.
This presents an opportunity for Bernard and Utah's running backs, but they have to capitalize. Houston had one of the nation's statistically worst rushing defenses ahead of its matchup with the Utes, but held Utah to 90 yards rushing.
"Iowa State, really good team. No. 1 in the conference in scoring defense. Got a good offense. Very balanced, a complete team, very balanced football team. A lot like us offensively in their personnel usage." -- Utah coach Kyle Whittingham