Note: The Deseret News is simulating every Utah State game against an FBS opponent this season, as EA Sports’ College Football 25 brings college football back to the world of video games.
Will Saturday finally be the day Utah State plays a decent game?
The Utes enter the game in Houston on a three-game losing streak. The offense has been a struggle for Utah, and the reins have now been handed over to interim offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian.
Will it help Utah score enough points to beat 2-5 Houston?
The Deseret News simulated Saturday’s game in the EA Sports College Football 25 video game, and there was more offense than expected in a close game.
How to set up a simulation
Some ground rules were established. The simulation used 12-minute quarters and allowed the computer to simulate the game without user interaction.
CPU ratings have also been adjusted slightly from standard to make pass defense more realistic. Adjusted Pass Accuracy from 50 to 35, then adjusted Pass Defense Rating from 50 to 80.
Injuries and depth chart moves were also implemented.
We excluded Utah defensive linemen Connor O’Toole and Junior Tahuna from the simulation because there is no clear indication as to their status.
Houston quarterback Zion Chris left last week’s game against Kansas with an injury, but is expected to return against Utah.
The uniforms worn by both teams were also reflected in the simulation as far as I know.
Utah shared a post with X showing the Utes wearing black helmets and white jerseys to promote the game. I added Yutu’s black pants to match.
Houston will be wearing traditional style with a red helmet and jersey and white pants.
How accurate was the simulation of Utah’s last game?
Actual score: TCU 13, Utah 7
College Football 25 simulation final score: Utah 37, TCU 14
My analysis: The simulation was a huge departure from how this game would play out in real life.
In the video game, the Utes forced several turnovers and had two pick-sixes in a blitz against the Horned Frogs.
In fact, Utah’s offense struggled all night as TCU shut Utah out.
What happened to the simulation between Utah and Houston?
Final score: Houston 28, Utah 24
Key sequence: Less than a minute after Houston cut Utah’s lead to 21-14, the Cougars took advantage of the game’s only turnover.
The Utes looked like they were going to have a decent drive, but Dallas Bentley fumbled after a short catch, and Houston’s Kentrell Webb returned the fumble 43 yards for a touchdown, bringing the game back to 21-21. Ta.
Houston eventually scored on its next possession, overcoming an early 14-point deficit to turn the tide and win.
Simulation Results: This was expected to be a very points-heavy match. So naturally, in the simulation, both teams started the contest with long drives for touchdowns.
Utah marched 81 yards in nine plays, 41 of which came from Micah Bernard on the ground, who scored on a 5-yard run to make it 7-0 Utes.
The Cougars fought back with a 12-play, 80-yard drive paced by Stacey Snead and Chriss, culminating in a 21-yard touchdown catch by Joseph Manjac IV with 3:41 left in the first quarter.
The Utes continued to build on that early success, showing a nice blend of run and pass, using their ground game to set up passes, and scoring three touchdowns on their first three drives in the second quarter to take a two-point lead. Built.
Bernard again made a few sloppy runs on Utah’s second possession, but Isaac Wilson got a crucial first down by holding the QB keeper on third and second inside Houston’s red zone. All of this capped a 15-play, 83-yard drive with Brant Kais scoring easily on a play-action pass and making a 3-yard touchdown catch.
Utah’s first sack of the day, a 10-yard shot by Kalane Reed, forced Houston to punt on its second possession and score again on the ensuing drive to make it 21-7. Kais continued the drive with a crucial 8-yard catch on third down, and on the next play Wilson found Money Parks for a 22-yard touchdown with 4:41 left until halftime.
Unfortunately for Utah, after an early surge, the offense stagnated for much of the game.
After the third quarter started with empty possession for both teams, Houston cut the deficit in half with a 76-yard drive that ended with Snead’s 1-yard touchdown run. Chriss completed runs of 22 yards on third and fourth yards to get the Cougars into Utah territory.
On Utah’s next possession, Bentley’s fumble resulted in the only turnover of the day, and Webb scored on a fumble return to make it 21-21 after just over a minute as Utah led 21-7.
The Utes were stopped short on a third-down play on their next drive, but Houston maintained its dominance in the third quarter with a drive for the go-ahead score. Snead made a 7-yard catch for third down and added a 19-yard touchdown catch on the next play, giving Houston a 28-21 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Utah eventually fought back with a drive that featured a 15-yard catch by Dorian Singer and 1 of 21 yards from Parks, before a 9-yard carry by Bernard pushed Utah inside the red zone. . , Wilson got back-to-back sacks and the Utes had to settle for Cole Becker’s 48-yard field goal with 8 minutes, 58 seconds left.
Houston finished off another long drive and had a chance to make it a seven-point game with just under two minutes left, but the Cougars missed a 46-yard field goal.
This gave Utah one last chance to retake the lead, starting a drive at the 29th minute with 1:57 left and taking all three timeouts, but Utah’s drive was ended by another sack near midfield. It was negated, and Wilson threw incomplete on fourth down with a minute left. He played and gave Houston the victory.
Star player: Wilson threw for 179 yards and two touchdowns, a modest passing number and added nine rushing yards, but had some nice gains on RPOs.
Bernard was the star of Utah State’s offense, rushing for 201 yards and one touchdown.
Kyte had seven catches for 52 yards and led six Utes with multiple receptions.
Defensively, Karen Reed had a great game with a team-high 10 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack.
Chriss gained 262 passing yards, including two touchdowns, and added 42 rushing yards for Houston.
Snead contributed in the run and pass game with 52 rushing yards, 32 receiving yards, and two touchdowns.
Carr led the Cougars with six catches for 95 yards.
Key stats: Utah held a slight lead in total yards, 389 to Houston’s 356, including a significant 210-94 advantage in rushing yards.
The Utes were 7-of-14 on third down, while Houston was 5-of-12.
But the big deciding factor in the game was Utah’s only turnover of the game, which led to the Cougars winning seven points.
How realistic was the simulation?
My analysis: I don’t expect this much attack in a real match.
But apart from that, it was no surprise that this contest remained close and decided all the way.