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Two-thirds through the conference slate, No. 10 Utah has tied the school record for the most Pac-12 wins, at five.

What comes next could be the hardest part.

Taking Colorado out of the equation, the Utes have lost five of their last six games in the final third of the Pac-12 schedule, their depth put to the true test at season's end. Kyle Whittingham has acknowledged that injuries are again "mounting" after the gods were charitable in the early going. But that happens to almost every team, he said, and Arizona and UCLA — themselves bitten by the bug — aren't likely to send any get-well cards.

Utah hopes to leave Tucson as leaders in the Pac-12 South.

Arizona, the reigning South champion, is scrapping to become bowl-eligible and send off its 21 seniors on a positive note.

Utah has lost three straight against the Wildcats, the third marring its own drizzly Senior Day last November. It may have a case for a College Football Playoff berth. But first: its closing statement.

Time, Place and [Radio Waves in] Space • The FOX Sports 1 broadcast begins 8 p.m., called by Justin Kutcher and Petros Papadakis. Tune in on your radios at ESPN 700, or on satellite at Sirius 135 or XM 198. Weather.com expects a high of 80 with a low of 52 Saturday night in Tucson, mostly sunny with a 7 mph south-southwesterly wind.

Line • Utah -6, over/under 62. It's the second-highest over/under for a Utah game this season, trailing only Utah's visit to Oregon (63.5, which Utah almost equaled on its own, winning 62-20). The total has gone over in five of Utah's last seven games, according to OddsShark, and eight of Arizona's last 11. Utah has won nine of its last 11 against the spread on the road.

Opposing Coach • The grand master of the zone-read rushing attack, Rich Rodriguez has won 106 games as head coach at Arizona, Michigan (where Whittingham's Utes handed him a loss in his 2008 debut) and West Virginia. Since going 60-26 with the Mountaineers, his success has been less fabulous, at 46-41. But Rodriguez led the Wildcats to bowls in each of his first three years in Tucson, and was one of two coaches to beat Oregon last season — at least until the Ducks took revenge in the Pac-12 Championship game.

Utah Ties • Utah junior right tackle J.J. Dielman moved from Michigan to the Phoenix area in the third grade and helped lead Desert Vista High to a state title as a two-way player. Sophomore quarterback Brandon Cox originally committed to Arizona before breaking his foot, that scholarship eventually going to current Wildcats starter Anu Solomon. Junior defensive lineman Anthony Fotu is the older brother of Utah commit Leki.

Pregame Quotable • Told his team is a top-five team when crossing the 40 and asked why they aren't getting past the 40 more often, Kyle Whittingham, after a pause: "So you're saying that once we cross the 40, we're pretty good?" Reporter: "Yeah." Whittingham: "But we suck at getting to the 40?"

Media Guide Nugget • Arizona is one of just five FBS teams that will play 12 consecutive weeks this season. Colorado, having visited Hawaii in the opener to qualify for a special exemption, will play all 13 weeks.

Telling Stat • How depleted and inexperienced has this Arizona squad been? Forty-one players have started a game this year for the Wildcats, including 25 on the defensive side of the ball alone. Arizona has 18 first-time starters, second-most in the Pac-12.

Wildcats Offensive Outlook • Moving the ball hasn't been Arizona's problem.

The Wildcats rank second in the Pac-12 in total offense, at 502 yards per game, and rushing offense, at 245 yards per game. Their 5.74 yard per rush average is fifth among FBS teams, and they've converted on almost 45 percent of third downs.

Sophomore quarterback Anu Solomon hasn't quite been what was hoped for after his sensational freshman campaign, but he played well against USC, and data provided to The Tribune by Pro Football Focus indicates he's the Pac-12's third-best passer, with a plus-12.5 rating (0.0 being the norm).

PFF found that Solomon does much of his damage between the numbers, 10 to 19 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, where he is 17-of-28 for 290 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

He struggles when pressured, however. Under the gun, Solomon has completed just 23 of 61 passes for 334 yards, throwing two interceptions. Unfettered, he's completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,739 yards, 12 touchdowns and just one pick.

Meanwhile, change-of-pace quarterback Jerrard Randall took just two snaps against the Trojans but has PFF's second-highest running grade among quarterbacks, at plus-15, and has totaled 683 yards with five scores.

Sophomore running back Nick Wilson is listed as questionable with knee and foot injuries after gashing the Utes last year for a career-high 218 yards and three touchdowns, but senior Jared Baker has been a solid replacement, carrying 103 times for 622 yards and six scores.

At wideout, the Wildcats are led by junior Cayleb Jones, with 41 grabs for 539 yards, but Jones is among four Arizona targets with 100 or more career catches (David Richards, Nate Phillips and Samajie Grant).

The Wildcats rushed for a season-low 60 yards against USC, seeming to miss guards Freddie Tagaloa (knee) and Jacob Alsadek (concussion). Tagaloa will sit out again, while Alsadek is considered likely to return to the fold.

Senior right tackle Lene Maiava has the Pac-12's third-best run block grade, per PFF, at plus-9.7, but has been a detriment in the passing game, conceding 17 hurries and four sacks.

One more thing to note: For all its offensive success, Arizona has struggled in the red zone, scoring just 82.4 percent of the time it crosses the 20

Wildcats Defensive Outlook • Here lies Arizona's problem.

The Wildcats have conceded 35 points per game, and are particularly susceptible through the air, by which means they've allowed 276 yards per contest.

They also haven't generated many turnovers — just six interceptions, last-place in the Pac-12 — and they haven't stopped opponents once they've reached the red zone. In 44 trips inside the Arizona 20, opponents have scored 96 percent of the time, including 34 touchdowns.

As good as Arizona's offense is at converting on third down, its opponents have been better, converting 47 percent of the time.

And penetrating Utah's offensive line, which has conceded just 12 sacks, may be a tall order for the Arizona pass rush, which has totaled 19 in 10 games.

All that said, there are a couple of players to keep an eye on.

Senior safety Will Parks' PFF rating of plus-14.6 is the second-best among conference defensive backs, and his plus-8.1 grade against the run is tops overall.

And senior defensive end Reggie Gilbert, who will start his 45th career game, has a team-high 19 stops — or tackles that result in offensive failure — and 24 quarterback hurries.

Wildcats Special Teams Outlook • Arizona has been solid in this department, if not quite on par with Utah's famous crew.

Senior punter Drew Riggleman averages 44.4 yards per punt, trailing only Tom Hackett (46.9) in the Pac-12 rankings. Senior kicker Casey Skowron is 11-of-14, with a season long of 48. And the Wildcats lead the conference in punt return average, at 17.1 — more than half of its return yards coming on Phillips' 69-yard touchdown return against Washington State.

(Although the fact that Arizona leads the conference in punt return average with only 120 punt return yards tells you as much about Arizona's defense as it does Phillips — they don't see a whole lot of punts.)

Required Reading

Injury Report • Utah senior center Siaosi Aiono is expected to play through a hand injury, possibly snapping with his left. The statuses of junior defensive end Hunter Dimick and junior defensive tackle Filipo Mokofisi — who did not travel to Seattle — are unknown. Redshirt freshman safety/No. 3 quarterback Chase Hansen was lost for the season after sustaining a lower-leg injury at the end of the game in Washington. Whittingham has said Utah wideout Tim Patrick will likely seek a medical redshirt. Senior cornerback Ahmad Christian has yet to make his return from an Achilles injury. Junior tight end Siale Fakailoatonga (knee), senior tight end Evan Moeai (lower leg), sophomore running back Troy McCormick (knee) and sophomore nickelback Jordan Fogal (knee) are out for the season. Freshman running back Marcel Brooks-Brown (gunshot wound) is back practicing but is not expected to play this season, while the status of sophomore guard Lo Falemaka (gunshot wounds) remains unknown. For Arizona, linebackers Scooby Wright and Derrick Turituri are out, as is Tagaloa. Alsadek is thought likely to play, and Wilson may return after missing three of his previous four games.

Three Big Questions

1. Can Utah stop the Arizona rushing attack? • It should really probably be "One Big Question" this week. The Wildcats have had a 200-yard rusher for three straight seasons, even as Utah has traditionally been known as a stout run defense. The Ute rushing defense has improved this year, allowing 33 fewer yards per game than last season, at 114, but will it be enough against a scheme for which they've had no answers? Even in a Utah rout, the zone-reading Ducks rushed for 222 yards on 40 carries. The Utes must resist the urge to overpursue and stay "gap-sound," a point of constant emphasis this week.

2. Will Utah's offense avoid lulls? • Utah scored 34 points against the Huskies, more than any team this season, but you wouldn't have guessed if you only tuned in for the third quarter. It may be a lot to ask of a team to get the better of a defense for four quarters, but Utah has looked impotent for extended stretches in four straight games. With the exception of its loss to USC, Travis Wilson, Devontae Booker and Co. have eventually sprung to life. Some sustained success would erase a lot of doubts, though.

3. More importantly, can Utah's offense avoid turnovers? • Lulls have been survivable, but losing the turnover battle hasn't. Utah's steady arguably risk-averse play has won it 17 games in the last two seasons. Arizona has had a devil of a time forcing turnovers. But turnover margins are unpredictable, and when Arizona scores off a turnover — as USC did against the Utes — the Wildcats are 9-0 during Rodriguez's tenure.

— Matthew Piper

mpiper@sltrib.com

Twitter: @matthew_piper