10 things to know about No. 17 Utah vs. No. 15 Arizona


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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah will close out its home schedule Saturday afternoon as the Utes take on the Arizona Wildcats in yet another contest featuring two nationally ranked teams.

Utah (7-3) bounced back a week ago with an impressive defensive showcase on the road, beating Stanford 20-17 in double overtime. The win guaranteed the Utes a winning season, Kyle Whittingham's eighth in his 10 seasons as head coach.

"Another good road win for our guys, as has been the M.O. all year, right down to the wire and beyond," Whittingham said. "Proud of the way our guys continue to find ways to win and to slug it out till the bitter end and just keep playing. That's the bottom line, they just keep playing."

Arizona, meanwhile, has won two straight after suffering a 17-7 loss to UCLA, a team that Utah beat earlier this season.

#17 Utah (7-3) vs. #15 Arizona (8-2)
  • No. 17 Utah (7-3, 4-3 Pac-12) vs. No. 15 Arizona (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12)
  • Date: Saturday, Nov. 22
  • Time: 1:30 pm MT
  • Site: Salt Lake City
    • Rice-Eccles Stadium (45,807/FieldTurf)
  • TV: ESPN
  • Radio: ESPN700 AM and Sirius 102/XM 198
  • Series Record: Utah leads 20-17-2
  • Last Meeting: 2013 (Arizona 35-24)
Series Snapshot
Utah and Arizona will play for the 40th time this fall—Utah's second-longest series against a Pac-12 school and one the Utes lead 20-17-2. Kyle Whittingham's first victory as Utah's head coach was against the Wildcats in the 2005 season opener. Utah leads 10-8 in Salt City and the series is knotted up at 9-9-2 in Tucson. Utah won three straight from 2004-11, before back-to-back Wildcat wins in 2012-13.

As we count you down to kickoff, here are 10 things to know about this week's matchup:

  • The matchup: No. 17 Utah (7-3, 4-3 Pac-12) hosts No. 15 Arizona (8-2, 5-2) on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 1:30 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
  • Utes in the rankings: Utah is ranked No. 20 in the A.P. and No. 21 in the Coaches' poll, the seventh straight week the Utes have been ranked in the A.P. poll. Utah has also been ranked in every set of the College Football Selection Committee Rankings, this week coming in at No. 17. Utah is 2-2 this season against ranked opponents.
  • Latest Arizona trends: The Wildcats are 12-1 under head coach Rich Rodriguez when winning the turnover battle. They have outscored opponents 69-12 in points off turnovers this season. Also, Arizona is 7-0 with a 100-yard rusher, yet only 3-2 when allowing a 100-yard rusher.
  • Nate Orchard and Sack Lake City: Utah defensive end Nate Orchard set the school single season sack record last week against Stanford, tallying 16.5 so far on the season. Utah leads the nation in total sacks (47) and sacks per game (4.70), and is the only school with two players in the top 10 of total sacks — Orchard (16.5) and Hunter Dimick (9).
  • Fast start: Wildcats have outscored opponents by a total of 40 points in the first quarter this season. On the flip side, the Utes have outscored opponents by 52 points in the first quarter this season.
  • Utes Senior Day: Fans are encouraged be in their seats early on Saturday to see 17 Utah seniors honored in a pregame ceremony: Dres Anderson, WR; Brian Blechen, DB; Kaelin Clay, WR; Wykie Freeman, DB; Jacoby Hale, LB; Sese Ianu, DT; Chandler Johnson, DB; Andre Lewis, WR; Geoffrey Norwood, WR; Nate Orchard, DE; Davion Orphey, DB; Ryan Petersen, WR; Marc Pouvave, OL; Greg Reese, DE; Eric Rowe, DB; Junior Salt, OL; Westlee Tonga, TE.
  • Strength vs. Strength: UA leads the Pac-12 for fewest tackles for loss allowed per game (4.60), while the Utes are second nationally in tackles for loss per game (8.6).
  • Just win: Arizona has won twice on the final play of the game in conference play, while six of Utah’s seven league tilts have been decided by six points or less, including three overtime games.
  • Ute Proud: The school will honor Native American Heritage Month at game against Arizona. A Ute tribe honor guard will present the national colors and 100 Ute youth will perform pow wow dances at halftime. The Ute tribe business committee will also be recognized. The players will wear a Ute Proud decal on their helmets and the coaching attire will include a Ute tribal seal patch.
  • Defensive superstars: Defensively, two of the league’s outstanding playmakers will square off. Arizona sophomore linebacker Scooby Wright has turned in a breakout season (only FBS player to rank in the top 25 individually for each of these four categories: tackles (117), tackles for loss (21.0), sacks (12.0) and forced fumbles (5)), while Utah senior Nate Orchard is putting the finishing touches on an impressive career (leads the nation in sacks per game (1.65) and is tied for first in total sacks (16.5)).
Robert Jackson is the cross platform sports and weather producer for KSL.com and KSL-TV. He has covered the Utes for KSL since 2008. You can catch him and co-host Brian Swinney Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. on the Ute Sports Report 1320 KFAN.

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