by Rod Pearson
Tuesday, Sep 13, 2022
Game Time: 10:00 pm ET, Saturday, September 17, 2022
Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT
Where to Watch: ESPN2
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: SDSU +21.5, Utah -21.5; Over/Under: 50 points
Bet365: Point Spread: SDSU +21, Utah -21; Over/Under: 50 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: SDSU +21, Utah -21; Over/Under: 49.5 points
Season Record
San Diego State Aztecs: 1-1 (3rd place, MWC West)
Utah Utes: 1-1 (5th place, PAC-12 South)
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Recent Form
San Diego State Aztecs: won their last game at home against the Idaho State Bengals 38-7.
Utah Utes: won their last game at home against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds 73-7.
San Diego State Aztecs vs Utah Utes Preview and Analysis
SDSU is entering this game with a 1-1 record overall to start their college football season and they will be playing their 1st road game of the season here. They won against the Idaho State Bengals in their last game at home 38-7. Braxton Burmeister started that game at QB and he completed 15/26 passes for 108 yards and 1 touchdown. Jaylon Armstead led the team in rushing with 96 yards on 5 rushing attempts. Tyrell Shavers led the team in receiving with 36 yards and 1 TD on 3 receptions. Davaughn Celestine led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle. Michael Shawcroft and Daniel Okpoko both led the defense in sacks with 1 each while no one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.
Utah is entering this game with a 1-1 record overall to start their college football season and they will be playing their 2nd home game of the season as they are 1-0 in their home games this year. They won against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in their last game at home 73-7. Cameron Rising started that game at QB and he completed 17/23 passes for 254 yards and 3 touchdowns. Chris Curry led the team in rushing with 60 yards and 1 TD on 6 rushing attempts. Dalton Kincaid led the team in receiving with 107 yards and 2 TDs on 7 receptions. Connor O'Toole led the defense in that game with 2 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles. Lander Barton led the defense in sacks with 1 while Junior Tafuna came away with the only interception for them in that one.
San Diego State vs Utah Prediction
The current betting odds have Utah listed as a 21.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Utah is 1-1 this season but they haven't looked bad in their games at all. They had a close loss in their season opener, losing to Florida in a game they could have won as there were some questionable calls near the end. They took their anger out on SUU in their last game scoring over 70 points, and they should be able to do some similar damage in this home game. SDSU looked a lot better in their last game but beating up on a bad FCS team does not fix their loss in their home opener, getting destroyed by an Arizona team who went 1-11 last season. SDSU struggled to get their offense together in that game and with this high-flying Utah offense they will have to face, they are not going to keep up with the points Utah can score in this game. SDSU has always had a good defense but their defense has been very bad this year and they will give up points to Utah here as they struggle to score points themselves. The best way to place a bet here is on Utah to cover the spread in this game.
San Diego State Utah Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 17, 2022 (10:00 pm ET start time) is Utah 49 SDSU 17.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
San Diego State Aztecs: 14-6 ATS in a road game where the total is between 49.5 and 52. 9-4 ATS as a road underdog of 21.5 or more points. 53-25 UNDER as a road underdog.
Utah Utes: 5-1 ATS in September games. 15-8 UNDER after gaining 325 or more passing yards in the last game. 19-13 UNDER off a home blowout win by 28 points or more.
Key Injuries
San Diego State Aztecs: T. Sullivan (WR) out for season - Knee.
Utah Utes: None.
Notable Quotes
“He played a really good football game. He made some individual tackles that we maybe didn’t make last week.” - Brady Hoke on Devaughn Celestine in their win against Idaho State last week.
"Get open more and demand the ball, you can demand the ball when you get open. I'm not saying they're getting gloved up but quarterbacks like to throw to open guys and so, you got to get open and if you want the ball that's an easy, easy answer. Get open, you'll get the ball." - Kyle Whittingham on what he needs to see from his WRs.
Starting Lineups
San Diego State Aztecs
WR Shavers, Tyrell
WR Matthews, Jesse
WR Shaw, Mekhi
TE Redman, Mark
QB Burmeister, Braxton
RB Bell, Chance
Utah Utes
WR Vele, Devaughn
WR Enis, Solomon
WR Dixon, Jaylen
TE Kincaid, Dalton
TE Kuithe, Brant
QB Rising, Cameron
RB Thomas, Tavion
FB Kendall, Logan
Statistical Leaders
San Diego State Aztecs
Passing: B. Burmeister (159)
Rushing: J. Armstead (129)
Receiving: T. Shavers (46)
Touchdowns: T. Shavers (2)
Utah Utes
Passing: C. Rising (470)
Rushing: T. Thomas (163)
Receiving: D. Kincaid (136)
Touchdowns: T. Thomas (3)
Coaches:
San Diego State Aztecs: Brady Hoke (3rd season, 5th season non-consecutive)
Utah Utes: Kyle Whittingham (19th season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
