This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Forget, for a second, about the fact that Utah hasn't beaten Arizona State since 1976.
More important is that few Pac-12 teams have beaten Arizona State recently.
Under Todd Graham, the Sun Devils have won 12 of their last 13 regular-season conference contests, and at 4-1 sit atop the Pac-12 South Division standings.
A Utah win Saturday would exorcise some demons (devils?), yes, but more importantly it would leave the Utes no worse than tied with Arizona for the South Division lead — and it'd give them another head-to-head tie-breaker should they later fall to two conference losses.
In the AP poll, it's No. 18 at No. 15. In the Coaches Poll, it's No. 18 at No. 14. In the College Football Playoff Rankings, it's No. 17 at No. 14.
But Utah's not playing that game these days.
Their eyes are on the Pac-12 South title, and the road to that takes them through dreaded Tempe.
Time, Place and [Radio Waves In] Space • Kick off is, unfortunately, at 9 p.m. MT. The bright side is that Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday, so viewers will have an extra hour to recover. The teams will play at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., and in two dimensions on FOX Sports 1. Radio listeners will need to tune in to ESPN 700.
Opposing Coach • Although Kyle Whittingham said after Utah beat USC that there are no do-or-die games in college football, Todd Graham said earlier this week that he sees the Pac-12 South as "a single-elimination tournament." It's hard to argue right now against the reigning Pac-12 South champion. Graham, 73-39 as a head coach, lost in his first head-to-head matchup against Whittingham while at Pittsburgh in 2011, but he's won the last two. He's 4-2 in bowl games and regarded as one of college football's best defensive minds, but remains perhaps best known nationally for informing Pitt players of his departure by text message.
Utah ties • For the second time in three weeks, Utah's running backs coach was the previous head coach of the opponent. Dennis Erickson went 31-31 in Tempe, winning a share of the Pac-12 title and Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2007 but finishing .500 or worse in each of the next four seasons. The Sun Devils also handed former Utah assistant Jay Hill a loss in his Weber State debut, 45-14, to kick off the 2014 season. Utah's roster claims four Arizonans: freshman linebacker Aaron Borg, sophomore right tackle J.J. Dielman, redshirt freshman defensive end Clarence Smith and freshman snapper Michael Welsh, and senior defensive end Greg Reese played junior college ball at Arizona Western in Yuma. Sun Devils sophomore linebacker Laiu Moeakiola played high school ball at Euless Trinity, in Texas, where Utah's sophomore center Hiva Lutui, sophomore offensive tackle Sam Tevi, redshirt freshman offensive tackle Salesi Uhatafe and junior defensive tackle Viliseni Fauonuku (before transferring to Bingham) also played. Utah also has a verbal commitment from 2015 Euless safety T.J. Kautai, and 2013 senior L.T. Tuipulotu was a Euless alum.
Pregame Quotable • Nate Orchard, on the 0-21 start the last time Utah visited Tempe, in 2012: "We won't make that same mistake again."
Media Guide Nuggets • Only one team in the nation, Temple, has fewer seniors on its roster than Arizona State. Of the 11 Sun Devil seniors, nine are starters — counting kickoff specialist Alex Garoutte and kick/punt returner Kyle Middlebrooks. Naturally, it follows that the Sun Devils are having success with a spate of newcomers. ASU features 18 players who have made their first-ever Division I starts this season, tied for fourth nationally.
Telling Stat • Expect some tackles to be made in the backfield. Utah and Arizona State both record an astronomical number of tackles for loss (Utah ranks second nationally, at 9.4 per game, and Arizona State ranks tied-ninth, at 7.9), and both schools allow an astronomical number of tackles for loss (Utah ranks 121st, at 8.29 per game, and Arizona State ranks 93rd, at 6.71).
Sun Devils Offensive Outlook • The Sun Devils again have their senior quarterback, thought before the season to be a dark horse Heisman candidate. Taylor Kelly and backup Mike Bercovici might be sixes, though. Kelly missed three games with an injured foot, and in the others — in which ASU is, granted, 4-0 — he's averaged just 201 yards. In three games of relief against UCLA, USC and Stanford, Bercovici averaged twice that, at 414. But Kelly, at 100 percent, is one of the nation's best read-option quarterbacks. And if you add the threat of Kelly's keepers to that of playmakers D.J. Foster and Jaelen Strong, ASU's offense could be appropriately scary for Halloween weekend. Foster has rushed for 648 yards and six touchdowns and caught 32 passes for 424 yards and two touchdowns (although he hasn't rushed for more than 59 yards since Week Three, against Colorado). Strong is practically a lock to make the Pac-12's first team at wideout and has 744 yards and seven touchdowns on 52 receptions, including five touchdowns in his past three games. In last year's 20-19 loss, the Utes held Strong to just three catches for 8 yards, Foster to just 44 total yards (although Marion Grice had success as primary rusher), and Kelly to 144 yards passing and minus-9 rushing. Kalani Sitake would surely take a repeat of those numbers. Arizona State's offensive line, described throughout the week as technically sound by Utah, is smaller than the USC group that gave Utah's pass rush its sternest test this season.
Sun Devils Defensive Outlook • The Sun Devils have been quite generous by way of yardage — 406 per game — but much of that is due to the anomalous UCLA dud, when the Bruins totaled 580 yards in a 62-27 loss that convinced many that UCLA was the cream of the conference and Arizona State was a paper tiger. Things have changed. Arizona State held both Stanford and Washington to 10 points, and safeties Damorious Randall and Jordan Simone led what was a stingy pass defense in those affairs. Those duo have combined for 126 tackles, and linebackers Salamo Fiso, Laiu Moeakiola, D.J. Calhoun and Antonio Longino all have four or more tackles for loss. The good news for the Utes is that where Arizona State is weak, the Utes are strong: ASU ranks just 86th in the nation in rushing yards allowed per game, at 180, and was gashed by Shaq Thompson for 98 yards in Seattle last weekend. Behind physical junior Devontae Booker, Utah is averaging 200 yards on the ground.
Sun Devils Special Teams Outlook • Zane Gonzalez gives Andy Phillips a run for his money as a sophomore place-kicking sensation. Sort of. Gonzalez as a freshman: 25-for-30, 83 percent, with two makes from plus-40 yards. Phillips: 17-for-20, 85 percent, with nine makes from 40-plus. Gonzo as a sophomore: 10-for-12, 83 percent, with two from 40-plus. Phillips: 14-for-16, 87.5 percent, nine from 40-plus. So, Phillips wins, but we doubt many sophomore kickers are such a close approximation. While sophomore punter Matt Haack has averaged 43.4 yards per punt this season, the Sun Devils are just 88th in net punting at 36.5, and opponents are averaging 13.2 yards per return. Fifth-year senior running back Kyle Middlebrooks is the primary kick returner and splits time with Randall on punt returns.
Required Reading
• Notes: "Sack Lake City" hopes to get back to early-season pace down in Tempe
Injury report • The latest loss, of senior wideout Dres Anderson, for the season, is obviously a huge one for Utah. Anderson joins sophomore linebacker Uaea Masina and sophomore cornerback Reginald Porter on the list of season-ending injuries for Utah. The status of free safety Tevin Carter is unknown and in doubt for the fourth consecutive week, with true freshman Marcus Williams playing in his stead after senior Eric Rowe moved back to corner in the second half against USC. Junior linebacker Jason Whittingham remains out with an arm injury. Arizona State starting quarterback Taylor Kelly was described as dazed by The Arizona Republic after taking a hit to the helmet late against Washington, but he's said to be OK. Starting left guard Christian Westerman appeared to suffer a knee injury against the Huskies, and his status is unknown.
Three Big Questions
1. Who will step up in Dres Anderson's absence? • Kenneth Scott, Tim Patrick and Kaelin Clay are the leading candidates. Scott is a big, sure-handed junior who requires no explaining to longtime Ute fans. Patrick is a junior college transfer with a basketball background who has yet to have a real breakout game but was a frequent target in fall camp scrimmages. And Clay has made his most significant contribution in the return game but made 52 receptions for 995 yards at Mount San Antonio College last season and, of course, the game-winner last Saturday.
2. Who will spot the offense seven? • In five games this season, Utah has gotten at least one touchdown from defense or special teams. Utah's passing game improved against the Trojans, but even with the gritty final drive from starter Travis Wilson, it still isn't where coaches had hoped it would be. Plus, there is no longer any mystery about Booker. With the Sun Devil defense gaining steam and Utah's offense trending more modestly upward, an extra seven points might go a long way.
3. Have four straight barn-burners taken their toll? • Utah lost by one point, won by two points, won by six points in overtime, and won by three points. Either the concept of a let-down game does not apply to them, or they are due for one cataclysmic letdown. Then again, players have said they feel the narrow results — particularly those on the road — have helped instill faith in each other and an ability to weather periods of adversity. Evidence suggests there will be a helping or two of that again this week, and we'll see if they respond so well again.
— Matthew Piper
Twitter: @matthew_piper