Utah aims for stought defense
Utah looking to regain tough defensive form against Arizona State
WTough defense has helped Utah grind out wins amid offensive struggles this season. Lately, however, the No. 18 Utes have shown some cracks on that side of the ball.
Utah (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12, No. 18 in CFP) enters Saturday’s showdown with Arizona State having allowed 33.5 points and 395.5 yards over its last two games. The Utes have shown a sudden vulnerability in run defense during that stretch, yielding 287 combined rushing yards to USC and Oregon. An inability to get stops on running plays helped the Ducks average 5.3 yards per carry and gave Bo Nix more than enough room to pick apart the secondary in a 35-6 victory over Utah.
“They seemed to have us on our heels from the opening drive and throughout the entire game,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “We’ve got to move on. We’ve got to put it behind us and flush that one.”
Arizona State (2-6, 1-4) is positioned to take advantage of a leaky run defense. Over their last two contests, the Sun Devils totaled 380 rushing yards while averaging 5.4 yards per carry. They put together their best offensive performance of the season against Washington State, gashing the Cougars for a season-high 509 total yards in a 3827 victory.
“I don’t think there was a secret sauce,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said. “We literally just ran everything correct. We executed and the guys made plays. That was the most plays we’ve made.”
Injuries have taken a toll on defense for Utah almost as much as on offense. The biggest loss came when Lander Barton, one of the team’s top linebackers, suffered a season-ending injury against USC.
Losing emphatically to Oregon opened the eyes of Utah’s coaching staff toward improved game planning and finding ways to put players who’ve filled injury-related holes in a better position to succeed this week.
“I’m not going to in any way, shape, or form blame my players,” Whittingham said. “They played hard. They never quit from snap No. 1 to the very end. We, as coaches, have to do a better job of creating better matchups and better schematics.”
ROLE MODEL PROGRAM
Arizona State has experienced major growing pains in Dillingham’s first season, earning one win over an FBS opponent through eight games. Facing Utah gives the Sun Devils a chance to measure themselves against a program Dillingham sees as a role model for his rebuilding efforts in Tempe.
Dillingham points to Whittingham’s long tenure and a clear football identity as elements he wants to imitate at Arizona State. He admires Utah’s runoriented physical offense and bruising defense.
“That’s what we’re trying to build here, so this is the gold standard in the league, in my opinion, for what a program should look like and should feel like,” Dillingham said.
THIRD DOWN LETDOWN
Oregon converted 5-of-10 third downs against Utah, a season-high in third down conversions for a Ute opponent. It was out of character for a Utah defense which has allowed opponents to convert only 27.3% of their third downs. The Utes lead the Pac-12 in that defensive category.
“They were pushing the tempo on us, which a lot of teams have done, and that shouldn’t have been a problem,” Utah linebacker Karene Reid said. “We’ve got to win on third down.”
MOVING UP
Arizona State receiver Elijah Badger needs 41 yards on Saturday to reach 1,500 career receiving yards. Badger leads the Sun Devils with 532 yards and two touchdowns on 45 catches this season. The junior ranks 10th among Pac12 players in total receiving yards. Badger has excelled in consistently generating yards after catch. He ranks sixth among active FBS receivers with 45 career missed tackles forced on receiving plays.
CATCH THIS
Utah receiver Money Parks has caught at least one pass in 19 consecutive games. Parks has tallied 47 career catches with the Utes, with nine receptions going for 20 or more yards. He has 227 yards and two touchdowns on 20 catches this season.