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When he's moving forward, not much has been able to stand in Joe Williams' way.
But this week, Williams may be called upon to stop the men rushing at him more than he has since his return. Against Arizona State, a team known for its philosophy of pressuring quarterbacks, Utah will face more blitzes than ever, with all hands needed to keep quarterback Troy Williams off the ground.
"Just going to tell Troy that I got his back," Joe Williams said. "I may be the last line of defense between a sack or a 60-yard touchdown."
While No. 15 Utah (7-2, 4-2) will have a lot of dimensions to consider ahead of Thursday night's game against the Sun Devils (5-4, 2-4) in Tempe, Ariz., none looms larger than how ASU plays defense, which has been a boom-or-bust dynamic this season.
ASU has forced 43 three-and-outs, the seventh-most in the nation, and has the 13th most sacks (27) and force negative or no-yardage plays 35 percent of the time. But the Sun Devils also have one of the worst passing defenses in the country (398 ypg.), and have allowed 12 scoring plays of 50 or more yards this season.
That puts the ball in the hands of Utah's offense, which has grown sluggish in the oft-discussed throw game in recent weeks without surpassing the 200-yard mark since beating Arizona a month ago. With a passing game ranked ninth in yardage (212 ypg.), it seems likely the Utes' fortunes could rest with Troy Williams and his receivers.
"Facing a team like that, you just have to know coming into the game you may take a couple hits," he said. "We have a great O-line, they've done a great job all year. But have to give respect to their defense. It looks like they've gotten to the quarterback enough amount of times this year. Just make sure I have to be standing there stout and ready."
Utah's offensive line has done well to keep Williams clean, allowing only 15 sacks this season. What Williams has done with that time has also been boom-or-bust: He's got 1,888 yards and 9 touchdowns through the air, completing under 55 percent of his passes. His QB rating of 123 is ranked ninth among Pac-12 quarterbacks.
But his downfield threat also seems well-suited for ASU's weaknesses on defense: He's thrown a league-leading 10 passes of 40 yards or more, and has thrown a pass of at least 25 yards in every game (including at Oregon State, in which he threw for 42 yards overall). He's also only thrown five picks, with only one coming in Pac-12 play.
Pro Football Focus College graded 79 of Williams' throws under blitzes in his most recent eight games: against the blitz, the junior completes a high percentage of throws (61 percent vs. 52 percent regularly), throws for more yards per completions (7.5 yards vs. 7.1 yards) and has a higher NFL QB rating (86.4 vs. 77.6). But facing pressure is a different story: When he feels the heat, Williams has struggled, completing only 34 of his passes and throwing 3 interceptions and no touchdowns.
"I feel like it will be a mixture of both [big plays and short plays]," he said. "I could hit a checkdown. I could throw it deep to [Saiosi Wilson] or Tim [Patrick]. I just have to be smart and take what the defense gives me."
It will also be on Utah's receivers to open things up for Williams downfield. Senior Tim Patrick returned in earnest against Washington, catching five passes for 72 yards. Saiosi Wilson has come on in recent weeks, catching four passes against UCLA, then catching his first career touchdown against Washington. Utah also is hoping for the return of Cory Butler-Byrd, who has been a game-changing open field threat when healthy (263 yards, 15.5 yards per catch).
The pass becomes all the more important considering Utah's recent bread-and-butter runs with Joe Williams may be more limited than in recent weeks: While Williams has rushed for 683 yards in his past three games with six touchdowns, ASU's defense has held opponents' run game in check better than any other Pac-12 team.
If Utah can't establish the run as it has in recent weeks, Williams may be called upon to use his other skills. Said Williams of pass protection: "It's fun to just have a guy come full speed at you and you knock him into the ground."
So far, Utah coach coach Kyle Whittingham said, Troy Williams has played up to expectations against blitzes. But this week offers a challenge.
"He's done a nice job of standing in there making the right reads," Whittingham said. "Our offensive line has done a nice job picking up blitzes. This will be our biggest test of the season this week in that regard."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
No. 15 Utah at Arizona State
P Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Ariz.
Kickoff • 7:30 p.m.
TV • Fox Sports 1 Radio • ESPN 700 AM
Records • Utah (7-2, 4-2), Arizona State (5-4, 2-4)
Series history • ASU leads, 20-7
Last meeting • Oct. 17, 2015 at Utah; Utah 34, ASU 18
About the Utes • With 23 total takeaways (15 interceptions, 8 fumble recoveries), Utah leads the nation and is ninth nationally in turnover margin (plus-9). ... Senior running back Joe Williams is averaging 228 rushing yards per contest since returning from retirement in mid-October, and has scored 6 touchdowns. ... With 7 sacks this year, senior defensive end Hunter Dimick leads the team and has 22 career sacks to rank fourth on Utah's all-time list.
About the Sun Devils • Sun Devil Stadium is a notoriously tough place to play for Utah, which has dropped eight straight games over the past 40 years in Tempe. ... Senior kicker Zane Gonzalez holds the FBS record for most career field goals with 93, setting the record earlier this season, and holds the Pac-12 all-time scoring mark (477). ... With 9 sacks, junior linebacker Koron Crump is third nationally in sacks this season, and has also forced 3 fumbles.