No. 10 Utah (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) at No. 19 Oregon State (3-1, 0-1), Friday, 9 p.m. ET (FS1).
Line: Oregon State by 3 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Tied at 12-12-1.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Oregon State looks to bounce back from a 38-35 loss last weekend to Washington State against visiting Utah on Friday night. The Utes are coming off a 14-7 win at home over UCLA. The Beavers have a six-game winning streak at Reser Stadium. The biggest question surrounding the Utes is the status of sixth-year senior quarterback Cam Rising, who is participating in practice but has yet to play in a game this season after ACL surgery.
KEY MATCHUP
Utah's rushing defense is ranked third in the nation, allowing an average of just 51 yards a game and only 2.02 yards a carry. The Utes have given up just two rushing touchdowns. Oregon State's running game is one of its strengths, with an average of 225 yards a game and 12 rushing touchdowns. Beavers running back Damien Martinez is averaging 108 yards a game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Utah: Redshirt freshman quarterback Nate Johnson started the last two games for the Utes in the absence of Rising. Johnson has played in eight career games, rushing for five touchdowns and passing for three. Utah is averaging just 170 passing yards a game.
Oregon State: Martinez is one of just 15 players nationally to have rushed for more than 400 yards this season. He ranks atop the conference with an average of 108 yards a game and 7.6 yards a carry. He had a streak of nine straight games with at least 100 yards rushing snapped last weekend against Washington State, when he rushed for 81.
FACTS & FIGURES
Utah is 4-0 to open the season for the first time since 2017. ... Oregon State has had a rusher reach 100 yards in 11 straight games. ... The Beavers are 0-6 against Utah when the Utes are ranked. ... Oregon State’s rush defense is sturdy, too, allowing just 69.8 yards a game. Opponents are averaging 2.43 yards a carry and the Beavers have allowed just three touchdowns on the ground. ... Utah defensive end Jonah Elliss has 5½ sacks and eight tackles for loss to lead the Pac-12. ... The Utes downed the Beavers 42-17 last year in Salt Lake City.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
