10 things to know about Utah at Arizona State

SALT LAKE CITY — The streak has ended.

With a 24-21 home win over the No. 20 USC Trojans, the Utes are bowl eligible again after missing out on postseason play the last two seasons.

"The atmosphere in Rice-Eccles on Saturday night was unbelievable," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "The way our fans supported our team, and the MUSS, the whole environment was really what college football is all about. That was a great experience for our players to be in that environment."

Utah has moved up to No. 18 in both the AP and Coaches' Polls, and with a 6-1 record, is in a prime position to compete for the Pac-12 South division title.

Next up for the Utes is a road game vs. south division foe Arizona State.

"We go back on the road this week to Arizona State," Whittingham continued. "A very good football team. A very balanced football team. Right now they are in first place in the south, so it is a big challenge for our team."

Utah (6-1) at Arizona State (6-1)

• No. 18 Utah (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12) at No. 15/14 ASU (6-1, 4-1)
• Date: Saturday, Nov. 1, , Sun Devil Stadium
• Time: 8 p.m. MST (Arizona) /9 p.m. MDT (Utah)
• Site: Tempe, Ariz
  • Sun Devil Stadium (67,704/natural grass)
• TV: FOX Sports 1
• Radio: ESPN700 AM and Sirius 126/XM 198
• Series Record: ASU leads 19-6
• Last Meeting: 2013 (ASU 20-19)

Series Snapshot
Arizona State holds a 19-6 series lead and has won 10 straight since Utah last won back in 1976 when both teams were members of the Western Athletic Conference. That 1976 victory also marks Utah's last win in Tempe where the Utes are 3-13 against the Sun Devils. ASU leads 6-3 in Salt Lake City.

Here are 10 things to know about this week's matchup:

• No. 18 Utah (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12) faces No. 15/14 ASU (6-1, 4-1) Saturday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. MST (Arizona)/9 p.m. MDT (Utah) at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The game will be nationally televised on FOX Sports 1.
• The 6-1 Utes are off to their best start since 2010 when they opened 8-0. In fact, their No. 18 A.P. ranking is the highest since Nov. 7, 2010 when they were ranked No. 15.
• The Utes are first in the nation in numerous statistical categories:
  • Total sacks (35) and sacks per game (5.0), and have been ranked No. 1 in sacks for four straight weeks
  • Net punting (44.11 yards).
  • Tom Hackett's 13 punts pinned inside the 10-yard line
• Utah running backs coach Dennis Erickson was the head coach at ASU from 2007-11, where he was the Pac-10 Coach of the Year in his first season.
• Arizona State is the third ranked team Utah has played this season. The Utes are 2-0 against ranked teams with wins over then No. 8 UCLA and No. 20 USC. It is the first time Utah has beaten two ranked teams in a season since 2008, when the Utes defeated No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, No. 11 TCU and No. 16 BYU
• ASU enters the weekend having won three straight on the heels of a hard-fought 24-10 victory over Washington in Seattle following back-to-back wins over ranked foes in Stanford (26-10) and USC (38-34). ASU opened up the Pac-12 schedule with a 38-24 victory on the road over Colorado before suffering a tough 62-27 defeat at the hands on UCLA at home two weekends later.
• Arizona State has scored first in 26 of the 33 games with Todd Graham at the helm and is now 20-6 in the Graham era when getting on the scoreboard first. ASU has accomplished the feat in all but one game this season and is 5-1 when scoring first in 2014.
• In three seasons at the helm, Todd Graham is 5-6 against AP-ranked opponents.
• Utah QB Travis Wilson is one of just five quarterbacks in the country who has not thrown an interception this year. Of those five QBs, Wilson has the most attempts (143).
• Utah Junior college transfer Devontae Booker ranks third in the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game (120.6). He is tied for second in rushing touchdowns (8), fifth in all-purpose yards per game (142.29) and fourth in scoring among non-kickers (6.9 points per game).

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