The quarterback woes continue for the Arizona Wildcats who lost their second straight game to UCLA last week and dropped to 2-3 on the season. The Wildcats will be underdogs again in Week 6, taking on the Utah Utes on the road with all sorts of question marks on offense.
The No. 24 Utes are 4-1 on the season are will be looking to rebound at home after losing a tight one to Cal last week. Utah is undefeated at home so far.
This contest in Week 6 of the regular season will go down Saturday, October 8, 2016, at 10 p.m. ET at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arizona +9.5
Utah -9.5
Over/Under 54
Odds Analysis
The spread seems accurate as 52 percent of the money is coming in on Utah to cover, although clearly this one could easily be covered by Arizona as well.
The scoring total looks a little high given that the Wildcats have some question marks offensively, and consequently about 75 percent of the early action is taking the “under.”
Injury Report
Arizona’s offense has been decimated by injuries this season. Quarterback Brandon Dawkins suffered a rib injury in the first half of Arizona’s loss to UCLA last week and did not return to the game.
Dawkins took over the starting job for Anu Solomon after he went down with a knee injury in Week 1. Walk-on Zach Werlinger came in for Dawkins on Saturday, but could not get anything going so true freshman Khalil Tate took over for Dawkins against UCLA and finished 5-of-9 for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Tate’s emergence leaves question marks under center for Arizona. All three quarterbacks have their pros and cons, and it will be interesting to see how coach Rich Rodriguez handles it this week and moving forward.
While Tate has talent, if he has to play again, it could be a short-term negative for the program since he is likely to go through growing pains.
Player to Watch
Tim Patrick -- The Utah wide receiver has been very good this season, catching 24 passes for 429 yards and five touchdowns. He has three 100-yard games, the most recent of which came two weeks ago in a win over USC.
Patrick has already more than doubled his receiving yards total from 2014 and should continue to be the go-to guy for quarterback Troy Williams in this contest.
Utah has the better passing offense of the two teams, and Arizona must be able to contain Patrick and the team’s other wideouts ti keep it close.
Free ATS Pick
Arizona opened the season with a loss to BYU before rebounding for wins over Grambling State and Hawai’i. The recent losses to Washington and UCLA have really put a damper on hopes of a fifth straight bowl game for the Wildcats.
While the Pac-12 South has been hard to figure, Arizona seems like a longshot to get back into conference contention. A loss to Utah may clinch that fate even though there is plenty of schedule left.
Utah started 4-0 this year, shutting out Southern Utah in Week 1, squeaking by rival BYU in Week 2 and then banking wins over San Jose State and USC. The Utes came close to pulling off another thriller against Cal last week, but the offense was stuffed on the one-yard line on the final drive of the game to hand the team its first loss.
Utah has proven to be a solid team and can’t afford to let up against an inferior opponent. It won’t be easy game-planning for all the different quarterback possibilities, but if Tate has to go again he could find life difficult against a good Utah defense.
Utah is a solid favorite and should take care of business at home against an Arizona team with health issues.
College Football Odds: Utah 34, Arizona 23
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