This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It won't get any easier, will it?
The the No. 18 Utes (6-1, 3-1) probably would love a week to recover from the USC game, a victory that held suspense all the way to the field-storming finish.
But every week, for Utah in particular, the meat-grinder schedule seems less and less forgiving. Just when the Utes are coming off arguably their biggest Pac-12 win ever, a larger one looms at No. 15 Arizona State.
If the Trojans were the team most fans would love to see fall to Utah, the Sun Devils step up right in their place: Arizona State has beaten the Utes 10 straight times.
"You're right," Kyle Whittingham said when a reporter brought it up. "It's been a while."
However, things are a bit different this time.
For one thing: the stakes. The battle between the two one-loss teams will go a long way to determining the Pac-12 South champion. With ASU, Utah and Arizona sitting tied at one conference loss apiece, the Utes could use a victory to start asserting themselves as the team to beat in the South.
Whittingham stressed that although the team is bowl eligible, they're still hungry.
"As a competitive group, one of our mantras is never be satisfied," he said. "I don't sense at all in any shape or form that these guys are satisfied. That was one of our goals going into the season, but we have more."
Utah is riding a three-game win streak in its best-ever Pac-12 start. Its defense is as close to elite as any Pac-12 unit can be this side of Stanford, the special teams are considered one of the best in the country, and between running back Devontae Booker and re-anointed starting quarterback Travis Wilson, the offense is doing just enough to squeak out victories.
UCLA by two, Oregon State by six, USC by three — those tight wins didn't come so easily last season. The one-point loss to the Sun Devils last season — after leading by 12 in the third quarter — is a particularly unpleasant memory.
"Things have been aligning for us and we're able to put things together that we weren't able to last year, tight end Westlee Tonga said."
For three straight weeks, Utah has made a defensive stop on its last drive, while the offense has scored the game-winning points. The latest of these thrilling finishes was a 73-yard drive engineered by Wilson, who was benched earlier in the year.
Going forward, Wilson appears to be the unchallenged starter after putting up 194 yards through the air against USC, and his 143 attempts without an interception is the longest active streak of any quarterback this season. Still, he said, he left some passes out there, particularly in red zone opportunities. A pass he lofted far beyond receiver Tim Patrick still stands out to him.
"I just gotta make sure I work harder to fix those mistakes," Wilson said. "I gotta make sure to capitalize on those."
Arizona State is a team allows opponents little room for error. The No. 21-ranked scoring offense in the country relies on balance between a prolific passing game led by all-star receiver Jaelen Strong and a stable of running backs. Although the ASU defense buckled badly against UCLA in September, the same unit has held each of its last two opponents, Stanford and Washington, under 300 total yards and to 10 points.
The Sun Devils' weakness might be who it can send out onto the field Saturday. Starting quarterback Taylor Kelly has missed a big chunk of the season with a foot injury, and The Arizona Republic reported he appeared dazed after a hit late in ASU's last game. But even if Kelly is limited or unable to play, back-up Mike Bercovici has been impressive in his place, and Whittingham said it won't change Utah's preparation. Arizona State has other potential injuries along the offensive line and at wide receiver.
Utah sports a few injury questions itself, including the playing status of center Saiosi Aiono and safety Tevin Carter. Whittingham wouldn't offer any new information on either, except to say they were still in question. He added that back-ups at the position, center Hiva Lutui and safety Marcus Williams, played admirably in their stead.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Utah at Arizona State
O Saturday, 9 p.m.
TV • Fox Sports 1