Utah Utes vs. Montana State Bobcats Preview and Prediction

On the eve of the Utes' opening game of the 2011 season, there are many unknowns and many questions to be answered after the team's conclusion of fall camp and with the opening kickoff just a little over 24 hours away.

Such questions as: How will Jordan Wynn and his surgically-repaired shoulder perform? Will Norm Chow's offense be successful at Utah? Can the young and somewhat inexperienced secondary hold their ground? How will the multiple running backs pan out? Will the offensive line protect Wynn and help keep him healthy?

Tomorrow's game against Montana State will be the beginning of the Utes' opportunity to answer these questions and make the unknowns known. The following slides give a preview of the Utes' Thursday night opponent and also list "Five Things to Watch" for Thursday night at Rice-Eccles...

It's Finally Here: Pump It Up!

The day we have all been waiting for is finally here...well, almost. Tomorrow is soon enough though. Utah will kick off the season versus Montana State at 6:00 p.m. (MDT) at home in Salt Lake City tomorrow night. As mentioned in the introduction, Utah has many questions to answer with quite a bit of change from last season.

The Utes only have 13 total returning starters out of the possible 24 (counting punter and kicker)—seven on offense, five on defense, with Sean Sellwood returning punter. There is a totally new core of running backs with John White IV, Tauni Vakapuna, Harvey Langi and Thretton Palamo in the backfield this season. And of course, there is new offensive coordinator Norm Chow, implementing his system.

So, both the offense and the defense, as well as the crucial job at the kicker spot, have gone through some offseason changes and it will be interesting to find out how they each perform.

Who Is This Montana State Team?

A few highlights to help you get to know Montana State before Thursday's game:

MSU is ranked No. 5 in preseason polls out of 126 teams in the FCS.

The Bobcats went 9-3 last year, with a statement win over Eastern Washington, last year's FCS champions, by a score of 30-7.

MSU led by 15 points in the fourth quarter against Washington State in Pullman, WA, before losing the lead, and ultimately the game, 23-22.

Bobcats' quarterback Denarius McGhee is on several preseason All-America lists and may be the best signal-caller in the Football Championship Subdivision. The 6'0", 213-pound sophomore led the Bobcats to a share of the Big Sky Conference championship by throwing for 3,163 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said, "He's a tremendous athlete." McGhee also rushed for a pair of scores and was named conference Offensive Co-Player of the Year. "One of his main strengths, I would say, is running the ball when he's in a tough situation," said Utah defensive tackle Dave Kruger. Whittingham added that Montana State and McGhee have the Utes' "full attention."

Other Bobcats players to look for to make plays Thursday night: WR Elvis Akpla, LB Clay Bignell, DT Zach Minter, RBs Tray Robinson/Orenzo Davis/C.J. Palmer and K Jason Cunningham with head coach Rob Ash calling the shots from Rice-Eccles' west visitors' sideline.

5 Things to Watch for Thursday Night at Rice-Eccles

QB Jordan Wynn: The play of Jordan Wynn at quarterback and how he leads his team out of the gates for the 2011 season.

The Utah Offense: The way Norm Chow begins to run his offseason-implemented West Coast style offense in a game situation at Utah.

Running Backs and Running Game: Look for how often Norm Chow runs the ball with more of a north-to-south power run game this year and how the slew of Ute running backs perform.

Offensive Line Jordy Protection Force: Watch for how effective the offensive line is in protecting Jordan Wynn from sacks and contact in general. This will be key this season to the Utes' chances for success.

Defensive Secondary Unit: The coverage play of relatively inexperienced cornerbacks Conroy Black, Wykie Freeman, Ryan Lacy and Reggie Topps along with the effectiveness of new starting safeties Michael Walker, Keith McGill, Greg Bird, Eric Rowe and Mike Honeycutt.

Extras:

See how the kicking affects the layout of the game with new kickers Coleman Peterson and Nick Marsh still competing for the starting spot.

Watch for big playmakers in WRs Devonte Christopher, Luke Matthews and all purpose players Keith McGill, Reggie Dunn and Reggie Topps.

My Prediction: Utes or Bobcats, and Score?

Utes take care of business at home and take care of Montana State handily, winning by a score of 41-17.

Montana State keeps the game close in the first half, only trailing 17-10 at halftime, but the Utes offense gets a burst out of the locker room in the third quarter, scoring 17 points and ensuring a 34-10 lead at the close of the quarter. Utah's defense shuts out the Bobcats for 28 minutes of the second half, until Montana State gets a last-minute TD with Utah's reserves on the field after Utah scored one more TD earlier in the fourth.

Prediction:

UTAH: 41 

MONTANA STATE: 17