Last week against the No. 6 Oregon Ducks, the Utes were run out of Rice Eccles Stadium.
“Obviously, we got beat by a really good Oregon team on Saturday,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “Our players are prideful. They know that we didn’t play particularly well last week.”
Utah struggled in every facet of the game. The Utes turned the ball over twice, threw for less than 150 yards, rushed for less than 100 yards, and failed to score a touchdown. The game didn’t go the way they hoped. Oregon dominated in a 35-6 victory.
So how does Utah plan to respond against the Sun Devils?
“Every Saturday, 50% of the teams in the country have to respond and get ready for the next one, coming off a loss,” said Whittingham. “We happen to be in that category this week.”
Although the loss against Oregon was a clear disappointment, Whittingham has made it clear that it won’t affect Utah’s performance this week.
“We’ve all got to flush that and move forward, and get ready for the next challenge. You can’t let someone beat you twice; that is very applicable this week for us,” said Whittingham. “We’ve got to be able to put that game behind us and set our sights on the Sun Devils.”
Arizona State rolls into Salt Lake City after picking up Its second win of the season against Washington State. The Sun Devils’ football program has struggled this season, but had its best performance of the season last week.
How to watch Arizona State vs. No. 18 Utah
Kickoff: Noon
TV: Pac-12 Network
Radio: ESPN 700 AM
Keys to the game
1. Find the run game
After failing to find any success in the run game last week, Utah faces another top-20 rushing defense against Arizona State. The Utes rushed for 99 yards, a far cry from their typical 172 yards per game. Lead back Ja’Quinden Jackson only averaged three yards a carry on 12 attempts.
“That was one of our main shortcomings in the game, not being able to establish a good run game,” Whittingham said. “Typically as the run game goes, so goes the offense. That’s going to be an important part of responding this week.”
2. Get back to doing U.
Over their last two games, the Sun Devils have rushed for a total of 380 yards. Although Utah holds the seventh-best rush defense in the country, keeping opponents to just 86.0 yards per game, they have given up a combined 287 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns to USC and Oregon.
Whittingham feels that he and the coaching staff are to blame for the team’s shortcomings.
“We, as coaches, have to do a better job of creating better matchups and better schematics. That’s really our take as coaches,” he said. “That’s where we squarely place the blame, is on ourselves.”
3. Impact plays
Utah has grown a reputation for making game-changing defensive plays. It’s part of the Utes’ defensive scheme.
“We try to get six or seven impact plays a game, which is turnovers plus sacks,” said Whittingham. “Against Oregon, Utah only had one.
The Utes have made 27 of those plays this season –— five fumble recoveries, seven interceptions, and 15.0 sacks. Against Arizona State, Utah will have an opportunity to make some impact plays, as the Sun Devils have already given up 21.0 sacks and 14.0 turnovers this season.
