Utah will get another chance to get back in the thick of the Big 12 title chase when the Utes face No. 21 Arizona State in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.
The Sun Devils (4-1, 2-0) are the second Top 25 opponent to visit Rice-Eccles Stadium in three weeks. Utah struggled on both sides of the ball the last time it faced a ranked opponent, falling 34-10 to then-No. 17 Texas Tech on Sept. 20.
Arizona State is in a four-way tie for first place in the conference, and Utah is in a four-way tie in the middle.
The season looks a lot less bleak now for the Utes than it did after they got manhandled by the Red Raiders.
Utah (4-1, 1-1) got back on track with a 48-14 blowout victory at West Virginia on Sept. 27 in the Utes’ most recent game. The Utes scored touchdowns on five of their first six drives and never punted. They totaled 33 first downs and averaged 6.9 yards per play.
Defensively, Utah allowed the Mountaineers to gain 95 total yards before halftime and shut them out until deep into the third quarter. West Virginia went 4-of-14 on third down and had only 14 first downs.
“No sign of a hangover,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “They came out and played exceptional from the start and finished the game like we were supposed to. (We) had some really good performances.”
Facing Arizona State offers a shot at redemption. The Utes have not won a conference game on their home turf since joining the Big 12 last season, going 0-5. But the Sun Devils won’t make it easy.
Arizona State allows an average of just 78.2 rushing yards per game, second only to Texas Tech among Big 12 teams. The Sun Devils are particularly adept at disrupting quarterbacks, leading the league and ranking fourth nationally with 3.8 sacks per game.
“They’re a good team, obviously; they’re one of those contenders that can win the Big 12 as well,” Utah quarterback Devon Dampier said. “So it’s a huge game for us to go into. and we have to prove ourselves.”
The Sun Devils also might be feeling a need to prove themselves anew even after a 2-0 start in league play.
Common threads emerged in Arizona State’s back-to-back 27-24 victories over Baylor and TCU. The Sun Devils had to rally from fourth-quarter deficits in both games after enduring slow starts.
They didn’t get on the board until late in the second quarter against the Horned Frogs after falling behind 17-0. Against the Bears a week earlier, Arizona State managed only a single touchdown until the fourth quarter and had to overcome a 17-16 deficit late.
“Yeah, we just got to start faster,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said. “We got to have better plans early … because it is taking us a while to get into our rhythm. And, you know, we can’t fall behind 17 points and expect to win many games.”
Arizona State and Utah will meet for the 36th time. The Sun Devils have lost three straight games in Salt Lake City and have lost four of the last five overall in the series.
