Daily briefing: On Utah’s possible respite, Western Michigan and resurgent Nebraska

Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:

Utah gets back on the field

Utah plays at USC on Saturday night, the Utes’ first game since the shooting death of cornerback Aaron Lowe; that came nine months after the accidental shooting death of Lowe’s best friend, running back Ty Jordan. To say the Utes have been reeling is an understatement. The three-plus hours on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum grass may be a respite from the pain of losing two teammates in shocking, senseless ways. Lowe switched to the No. 22 jersey that Jordan wore last season, when he was Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. “You won’t see anyone wearing No. 22 in this program again, at least as long as I am the head coach,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said this week. That seems right.

Big game in the MAC

Keep an eye on Western Michigan, which is 4-1 and playing MAC West rival Ball State (and defending league champ) on Saturday. The Broncos are one more team benefitting from the NCAA inviting every player back to play after the COVID-19 season. They have 19 returning starters, and it shows. After getting beaten badly by Michigan in the season opener — which doesn’t look so bad now — stout defensive play has carried the Broncos to wins over Illinois State, Pitt, San Jose State and Buffalo. In those four games, Western Michigan has allowed an average of 17.8 points and 237 yards per game of total offense, and that’s even after Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett threw for 415 yards in a 44-41 Broncos victory.

Huskers got up off the mat

Far be it from me to accuse anyone watching college football to jump to a conclusion, but those of us who wrote off Nebraska after the Week Zero loss to Illinois might have been a tad, I don’t know, rash? The Huskers have lost close games at Oklahoma and at Michigan State, both of which are undefeated and ranked in the top 11. Nebraska then steamrolled Northwestern last week, sending a message to No. 10 Michigan, which brings its powerful running game into storied Memorial Stadium. I don’t know. I think the Huskers, even at 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten, have to be taken seriously. We’ll find out just how mature the Wolverines are.