Keys to the Game: What Baylor Must Do to Upset No. 11 Utah

If Baylor has any chance of rolling into Salt Lake City on Saturday afternoon and pulling off the upset of No. 11 Utah (1-0), then the Bears will need to fully execute this week’s ‘Keys to the Game.’ 

1: Don’t let Brant Kuithe beat you

After missing last season due to a torn ACL and meniscus, the Katy, Texas native looked fantastic last week in his first action since 2022. Kuithe scored a Big 12 record three touchdowns on four catches during the first half against Southern Utah, becoming the first tight end to find paydirt that many times in one half. 

Kuithe has another opportunity to hit a career milestone this week against the Bears, as he needs just 49 yards to hit 2,000 receiving yards. Baylor can’t afford to let Kuithe get rolling, so they must cover him like a blanket and make Utah quarterback Cam Rising find another number-one target.

2: Dequan Finn must make better decisions 

Last week was a bit of a rollercoaster debut for Toledo transfer quarterback Dequan Finn (6Sr.). He was able to wow the crowd early on with his feet to get Baylor on the board, but that wasn’t enough to mask some of the poor decisions he made through the air. 

Finn tried on multiple occasions to fit balls into windows that just weren’t there, which ultimately resulted in two interceptions. He had another interception negated by a penalty as well but was ultimately lucky that he didn’t have a few more picked off. 

While Tarleton’s defense was able to capitalize on Finn, that won’t be the case this week against Utah. Utes’ defensive coordinator and safety coach, Morgan Scalley, is one of the best in the business, and you best believe that he will have his unit looking to force multiple turnovers on Saturday.

3: Keep your composure in a hostile territory 

While this game might not count as a Big 12 tilt in the standings, it’s absolutely the first home conference game in the minds of the Utes’ faithful. Rice-Eccles Stadium is an extremely difficult place to play, as it’s been a sellout for the past 84 games dating back to the 2010 opener, and that dominance is reflected in the numbers.

Utah is 119-37 all-time at home and 91-26 under head coach Kyle Whittingham. The Utes have five undefeated seasons at home under Whittingham and have won the last 32 of 34 games at home, including their current 18-game home winning streak.

Add in the altitude with that type of atmosphere, and if Baylor gets down early, things could get ugly quickly for the Bears.

Conclusion:

I think Baylor has improved since last season, and I also believe they held a lot back last week against Tarleton. However, I think after this game we will truly be able to gauge this team on what their real expectations should be for the remainder of the season. I picked Utah to win this game 41-20, which could still provide some optimism for Baylor to make a push toward a bowl game at the end of the season.

The Bears (1-0) and No. 11 Utes (1-0) will kick things off at 2:30 p.m. from Rice-Eccles Stadium. The game will be nationally televised on Fox. Also, our 365 Sports pregame show will air locally Saturday morning on KWTX and on YouTube from 9:00 to 10:30.