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Utah's Jake Bentley Ready To Finish The Season On A High Note

After struggling for much of the season, Utah quarterback Jake Bentley put together his best game of the year last weekend. He'll look to continue that trend in Saturday's season finale against Washington State

Ryan Kostecka

It's safe to say that Jake Bentley's first season at Utah has been an up-and-down learning experience. 

As a grad transfer from South Carolina, he arrived to the team in the spring ready to compete with Cam Rising and Drew Lisk for the vacant starting quarterback position. Unfortunately Bentley was robbed of truly competing for the job when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, shutting down football operations for the Utes.

It wasn't until September when the Pac-12 officially announced that it would be starting the college football season in early November did Bentley have a chance to compete for the starting gig. As he competed with Lisk and Rising for the starting gig, Bentley's leadership was evident as he was named a team captain and a member of Utah's vaunted leadership council.

But by that point in fall camp and with the season so close to starting, players who were experienced in offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig's had a massive advantage over Bentley. Hence when Utah kicked off the season on Nov. 21 against USC, Rising was taking the first-team snaps as Bentley stood on the sidelines as the backup.

Everything changed though on the first play of the second quarter against the Trojans. Rising was sacked and suffered a season-ending shoulder injury on the play, promoting Bentley to starter for the rest of the year.

After he was unable to lead a comeback against the Trojans, and then accounted for three turnovers in a 24-21 loss to Washington, Utah fan boards began calling for Lisk to replace Bentley as starter.

Fortunately for Bentley, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham had no interest in reading the fan boards. He elected to stick with Bentley and that decision his thus far paid off. 

Combined with the emergence of running back Ty Jordan, Bentley has led the Utes to two consecutive victories. His best performance of the season came last week when Utah took down then-No. 21 Colorado 38-21, as he threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 31 yards on the ground.

Dec 12, 2020; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Jake Bentley (8) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sportsffd

Bentley will now have a chance to close out this season — and potentially his last college game — with another victory over when Utah faces off with Washington State on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 11:30 a.m. from Rice-Eccles Stadium and will be broadcast on FS1.

UTAH Players To Watch
-- Jake Bentley, QB, Senior: After having his best game of the season last week against Colorado, Bentley will look to continue that hot streak against Washington State. He will have to play well as the Cougars, who have the Pac-12's No. 2 rush defense, will stack the box and force Bentley to win with his arm. If he can get the ball efficiently to his playmakers while still pushing the ball downfield, Utah will be very tough to stop.

-- Nick Ford, OL, Junior: It's unknown if senior center Orlando Umana will return this week after dealing with an unspecified injury the past couple weeks. So Ford has stepped up in his place to led Utah's young offensive line to its best two games of the season over the past two weeks. He will be relied upon to continue to be the rock of the unit, especially against a Cougars squad who is expected to bring the blitz early and often. 

Dec 31, 2019; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Utah Utes offensive lineman Nick Ford (55) looks to block in the first half against the Texas Longhorns at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

-- Clark Phillips, DB, Freshman: It's been an up-and-down freshman season for Phillips, who entered this year as the highest-rated recruit in program history. He will have a chance to take another step forward this week when he goes up against Washington State's dynamic duo in Renard Bell and Travell Harris. If Phillips can play well, the Utes should be able to keep Washington State's offense in check.

-- Mika Tafua, DE, Junior: Entering the season with high expectations, Tafua has really emerged as the dominant force he was expected to be over the past two games. Although his stats haven't reflected his dominance, he's been pressuring quarterbacks at a high rate despite dealing with double teams consistently. If he can turn those pressures into stats, it could be a greta springboard into next season.

Dec 5, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes defensive end Mika Tafua (42) sacks Oregon State Beavers quarterback Chance Nolan (10) on the final drive of the game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

WASHINGTON STATE Players To Watch
-- Jayden de Laura, QB, Freshman: It's been an interesting season for de Laura, who is starting as a freshman in head coach Nick Rolovich's first year at the helm. Completing 60.4% of his passes with five touchdowns and five interceptions, de Laura has thrived when moved outside the pocket and forced to make plays on the run. He's going to have to do that against the Utes, one of the more physical and aggressive defenses in the nation

-- Max Borghi, RB, Junior: Borghi ran for 817 yards (6.4 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns on 127 carries last season, adding another 86 catches for 597 yards and five scores. But he has yet to pay this year due to a back injury, and is now expected to make his season debut on Saturday. Dynamic with the ball in his hands, Borghi is the sort of game-changer that can win a game by himself. Utah must be ready for him in every facet of the game.

Sep 21, 2019; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars running back Max Borghi (21) scores a touchdown during a football game against the UCLA Bruins in the second half at Martin Stadium. Bruins won 67-63. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

-- Renard Bell, WR, Senior: Talk about a player who has emerged over his past two games, Bell has totaled 21 catches for 234 yards and two scores over that span. He's become de Laura's No. 1 target and is moved all over the field. With Borghi and Deon McIntosh holding down the running game, Bell is going to have to make plays in the passing game to keep Utah's defense honest.

-- Jahad Woods, LB, Senior: Woods is the second on the team in tackles with 22, and will be called upon to play a big role on Saturday. Jordan has been dominant for Utah as of late, averaging 157 rushing yards per game the past two games. It will be up to Woods to corral Jordan in the rushing game and keep him from breaking off big runs. If the Utes can't run the ball, it will force Bentley to throw to win, a spot the Cougars want to be in.

Aug 31, 2019; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars linebacker Jahad Woods (13) lines up for a play during a football game against the New Mexico State Aggies in the first half at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

SERIES HISTORY
9-8 Washington State / Utah will have a chance to even the series with a win. Since joining the Pac-12, the Utes are just 3-4 against the Cougars, including a victory last season that ended a three-game losing streak in the series.

Utah turned an eight point halftime lead into a 38-13 victory over Washington State last season. The Utes held the Cougars scoreless in the second half while scoring 17 points. Quarterback Tyler Huntley threw for 334 yards and two scores while wide receivers Bryan Thompson and Samson Nacua combined for 201 yards on nine catches.

QUOTE TO NOTE
“It has been rough. It’s been different. It’s been challenging. But our guys have responded as well as they possibly could have. It was tough getting the rug pulled out from under them at the 11th hour in those first two games,” Whittingham said. “That was a little bit disheartening. But it was the right decision to make. They responded and played their hearts out. It’s been a four-game season but it seems like a 14-game season. It’s been a journey. But you’ve got to be resilient, you’ve got to be tough and keep fighting. That’s what they’ve been doing.”

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