Brant Kuithe Takes A Screen Pass 71 Yards For A Utah Utes Touchdown

HOUSTON, Texas- The Utah Utes traveled to Houston Texas to take on the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium.

Houston received the opening kickoff and the Utes defense forced the Cougars into an early 3-and-out, gaining possession at the 13:15 mark of the first quarter. It only took Interim Offensive Coordinator Mike Bajakian two play calls for his attackers to punch a touchdown in.

Prior to the snap on 2nd & 9, Brant Kuithe went in motion from left to right. Isaac Wilson took the snap, turned to his right, and put a screen pass into the chest of Kuithe, who had a convoy of offensive linemen blocking in front of him. After following his blockers for 15 yards, it became a foot race. Kuithe turned on the jets at the 50-yard line, sprinting across green grass on his way to the house.

.@Brantkuithe14 71 YARDS TO THE HOUSE‼️

📺: ESPN+#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/OiLqEGMrDd

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 26, 2024

The play was good for 71 yards, making it the second straight week that the Utes have scored a touchdown from that distance with Money Parks grabbing a 71-yad touchdown catch last week against TCU.

The touchdown gave the Utes a 7-0 lead over the Houston Cougars.

Three Game Day Thoughts

1. Preparing for Zeon Chriss and Donovan Smith

Utah isn’t the only Big 12 program working through quarterback change, Houston is going through their own changes. Donovan Smith was a solid quarterback for the Cougars last season but has largely struggled this year under Willie Fritz.

That’s led to Zeon Chriss playing and taking control of the starting job. He looked fantastic against the Horned Frogs two weeks ago. In their 30-19 win over TCU, Chriss completed 15-of-18 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown, while adding 97 yards and one more score on the ground.

Chriss gives Houston potential in the read option. He’s an athlete who has totaled 205 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries. He’s forced 17 missed tackles, so the defense has to be prepared for that.

However, a hamstring injury against Kansas last week forced him out of that one early. According to reports, Chriss is set to start against the Utes, but given the hamstring injury, there’s certainly a chance he won’t be the only quarterback Utah sees today.

Smith filled in last week and completed 15-0f-24 passes for 173 yards, two scores, but three interceptions. Those turnovers have been his biggest issue this season. Smith isn’t the same athlete Chriss is but he’s dually capable in his own right.

2. Utah defense needs to turn pressure into sacks

Utah’s defensive pass rush started the season on a heater. They jumped out to the lead in the Big 12 Conference both individually and collectively. Since week four, the pass rush has slowed down a bit.

That’s not to say it’s come to a complete halt but the Utes have totaled just one sack in the last four games. However, Utah has maintained really good pressure rates in each of the past three contests: against Arizona, Utah generated a 51% pressure rate, Arizona State a 33% rate, and TCU a 31% rate.

The defensive front has been generating pressure on quarterbacks, they just aren’t getting home quickly enough. Coming into this game, Houston is actually one of the worst at sack rates allowed.

Houston’s Zeon Chriss currently owns a 33.3% pressure-to-sack rate, while Donovan Smith has a 29.1% rate. That means in roughly 1-of-3 pressures result in a sack for Houston opponents. For comparison, Isaac Wilson currently owns a 19.4% pressure-to-sack rate.

Simply said, the Cougars are No. 15 in the Big 12 in sacks allowed with 24.0, only Colorado is worse at 25.0 sacks given up.

Utah’s pass rush has a prime opportunity to get back on track today. The defensive front needs to play disciplined but aggressive and that should lead to results.

3. Houston’s defense is tough but…

The Cougars come into this game as the No. 3 Big 12 team in total yards allowed at 319.6 yards per game. They are also No. 8 in the conference in points allowed, yielding 23.6 points per game.

Those are strong numbers for the season, however, Houston has struggled as the season has worn on. Over the last four games, the Cougars have given up 380.2 yards per game and allowed 28.7 points per game.

The key against the Cougars is establishing the run. In four of their losses, Kansas, Iowa State, Cincinnati, and UNLV all ran for at least 149 yards.

And the key to establishing the run is being two-dimensional. The Cougars are good against teams when they are or are turned one-dimensional. Utah needs to find a complementary passing game for this one. It doesn’t need to be prolific, it just has to force the Cougars to honor the threat of the pass.

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