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"We've got to win. We're focused on getting these guys to a bowl game. We're focused on getting some respect in the Pac-12."

— Kalani Sitake

Of all the conclusions to draw from Utah's season thus far, one stands out. It's more a reminder than any kind of big surprise. It's veracity in waiting.

Kalani Sitake will be a head football coach. And he'll be a good one.

The man who has been Utah's defensive coordinator since the days prior to the Utes' beatdown of Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl deserves major credit for the inch-by-inch, foot-by-foot, yard-by-yard ground Utah has won in the Pac-12 this year. Put it like this: Where would the Utes be without Sitake's defense?

Don't answer.

Utah's offense is still struggling. The Utes are second-to-last in the Pac-12 in passing. They are last in first downs. They are ninth in total offense. They are second in rushing offense. The happiness they have found via running the ball is tied directly to the success of the defense. It fits an approach to football that stems back to the bygone time of wearing raccoon coats and swallowing goldfish, back to when Army and Yale and Michigan dominated the college game: run the ball and play tough D.

The Utes rank second in the Pac-12 in rush defense, second in scoring defense, third in total defense. They lead the nation in sacks (33) and tackles for loss. The secondary has intercepted seven balls. Those two stats are unmistakably linked. In Utah's football universe, that defense is Phase 1. Phase 2 is special teams. Phase 3 is the offense.

Watching Sitake's fearsome front chop down UCLA's Brett Hundley 10 times during a Utah victory at the Rose Bowl sent a buzz through the press box. Many L.A. reporters had not often seen the great Bruins quarterback rendered so helpless by an opponent.

Sitake walked off the hallowed turf that afternoon, his work done.

This is where, normally, I'd quote the coordinator about his defense's contributions to the 5-1 Utes' growth, but the edict thrown down earlier that assistants would be made available to the media only under restricted conditions, inhibits those words from being placed here.

The quote from above was spoken before the edict.

I have the coordinator's cell number. It's weird. I did not call a grown man because … well, that's frowned upon.

But I know what he would say. He would give credit to players like Nate Orchard, who has 10.5 sacks, for making such an impact. He would talk about the selflessness and the hard work of his entire defense. He would give a nod to what's been accomplished thus far, but he would talk about the work ahead, the improvements needed. He would dial in completely on the challenge facing the Utes at Rice-Eccles on Saturday night against the USC Trojans.

And he would be right.

Utah is facing what might be one of the toughest five-game stretches any team has ever faced: USC at home, Arizona State on the road, Oregon at home, Stanford on the road, Arizona at home. Emblematic of the degree of difficulty there, Stanford is considered the worst of that bunch.

Every bit of the early Pac-12 land the Utes have gained will be at risk over the next month. One thing Sitake would not say, were he to speak, is that the offense had best come around to aid his defense. It's true, it's damned true, but he wouldn't say it.

He, instead, would point to the deficiencies on his side of the ball. Like any great coach, he would take accountability and responsibility for the 130 points opposing teams have scored against the Utes. He would underscore the 136 first downs and the 2,274 yards of total offense they have yielded.

He wouldn't blame Dave Christensen. He would name his own problems.

That's one of the reasons Sitake will make a terrific head coach, whenever some athletic director is smart enough to give him an offer. He doesn't get the recognition he should, in part, because he works for a head coach who's spent the majority of his career immersed in defense. But Sitake knows his business. He's organized. He's a great recruiter. He doesn't shy away from the truth, no matter how cruel, he doesn't shift the blame, he won't shrink from a difficult task, he doesn't try to hog the glory. He knows the two most important things a coach can do are: 1) get every ounce of ability out of his individual players and 2) give those players their best chance to win.

When Sitake was named Utah's defensive coordinator at the age of 33, he said:

"I want to see a punishing defense that will make an impact on every series and every play. I want us to play hard, physical, aggressive defense. You've got to challenge guys to be better players, challenge them to be good. I'm passionate about this game, about trying to get the most out of these guys. I believe in teaching them, communicating with them, getting everything I can out of them. I'm the luckiest guy in the world to get that chance."

Closer to the truth: The Utes are lucky to still have him.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM/1280 and 960 AM The Zone. Twitter: @GordonMonson. —

No. 20 USC at No. 19 Utah

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