Utah looking to build on momentum of Stanford game


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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has moved on from their upset win over No. 5 Stanford and is looking to build on their momentum to battle it out for positioning in the Pac-12's South Division. But their game Saturday against Arizona will be no easy task, with one of the best rushers in the country lining up against them.

"This game (Stanford) is big, but it can be magnified if we're able to build on it and do some good things going forward," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said Monday. "We're playing a good Arizona team this week. Ka'Deem Carey, one of the best backs in the country, gave us fits last year, and we've got to try to have a plan to try to not let him do to us what he did to us last year."

Last year, Utah lead 24-17 going into the fourth quarter, but Arizona quickly scored 17 unanswered points and went on to beat the Utes. Carey lead the team with 204 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground. The loss guaranteed Utah would miss the postseason for the first time since 2002.


Ka'Deem's a great back, probably one of the best in the country after what he did last year. I'm going to use that to compete; I love to compete, so I'm going to go yard for yard. Our o-line says it all the time, 'He's a great back, but we want you to have more yards than him.' And I say that as well, so that's what we're going to do.

–Bubba Poole


While this year's game will not ultimately determine postseason play, it has implications in the divisional standings and could set the tone for the second half of the season for both programs — Arizona is 3-2, while Utah is 4-2 on the season.

"We feel like we need to use this (win against Stanford) as momentum to get on a winning streak," Utah running back Bubba Poole said. "We need to make sure we carry on that momentum in each of these games."

Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey, who is currently the No. 4 rusher in the country with an average of 142.3 yards a game, will pose problems for Utah, particularly since he managed more than 200 yards last year against a defense lead by Star Lotulelei.

"He did a number on us (last year). He's a powerful kid — not the tallest kid in the world, you know, 5-foot-10, but he's about 210 pounds, extremely explosive, great vision and great quickness," Whittingham said. "He's a guy that can really change direction, and tough to tackle.

"We've got our work cut out for us, and we've got to do a much better job than we did last year on him," he added. "I've been impressed with him since the first time I watched him play, and I think he's one of the top backs in the country."

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However, Poole said he uses it as motivation to improve on his ground game.

"Ka'Deem's a great back, probably one of the best in the country after what he did last year," Poole said. "I'm going to use that to compete; I love to compete, so I'm going to go yard for yard. Our o-line says it all the time, 'He's a great back, but we want you to have more yards than him.' And I say that as well, so that's what we're going to do."

Despite Arizona's success in the run game, head coach Rich Rodriguez said Utah's defense will make it extremely difficult to get the offense moving.

"They have a lot of things that concern us. Their defense is good overall — run or pass. They're very, very physical. They bring a lot of pressure. They'll challenge you in coverage — get in your face. And they're very active," Rodriguez said. "Our guys see that on film and we've got a lot of respect for their program. And certainly their defense has been very stout the last few years."

Arizona does not rely on the passing game much, but rely on Carey and the other backs to get the job done. The Wildcats are in last place in the Pac-12 in passing, averaging only 161.6 yards per game. But the Wildcats are second best in the Pac-12 in rushing, averaging 262.2 yards per game.

Utah features the third best rush defense in the conference, holding opponents to an average of 133.7 yards per game. However, Utah gives up a lot in the passing game, allowing an average of 269.5 yards through the air.

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