SALT LAKE CITY - Utah (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) plays at Arizona (2-6, 1-5 Pac-12) on Saturday, Nov. 5 in Tucson, Ariz. Kickoff is 4 p.m. MST (5 p.m. MDT) in Arizona Stadium.

Television is KJZZ (Utah only), KWBA, Fox Sports Arizona Plus and Fox College Sports Central. Radio is ESPN700 AM (espn700sports.com), SIRIUS (117) and XM (203).

Utah (4-4) at Arizona (2-6)

Game 9 Notes

• Utah (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) vs. Arizona (2-6, 1-5 Pac-12)
• Date: Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011
• Time: 4:00 p.m. MST/5:00 p.m. MDT
• Site: Arizona Stadium (56,100/Grass) Tucson, Ariz.
• TV: KJZZ (Utah only), KBWA, FS Arizona Plus & FCS Central
• Radio: ESPN700, SIRIUS 117, XM 203
• Series Record: Utah leads 19-15-2
• Last Meeting: 2005 (Utah 27-24)
• Kickoff Weather: Partly cloudy, temps in the mid 60s

Series Snapshot ...
Their 36 meetings is the second-most against a Pac-12 school for the Utes, who lead the series 19-15-2. The teams are 2-2 since 2000 with Arizona winning in 2000 and 2002 and Utah winning in 2004 and 2005. Utah's 2005 victory came in the first game of Kyle Whittingham's head coaching career. The series is tied 8-8-2 in Tucson, where Utah snapped a seven-game road losing skid in its undefeated 2004 season.

Utah will be the opponent in Arizona's 126th homecoming game. The Utes are 1-1 in homecoming games this year, losing to Washington in Salt Lake City on Oct. 1 and spoiling Pittsburgh's homecoming on Oct. 15.

The first regular-season win of Kyle Whittingham's career came in the 2005 season opener against Arizona (27-24 in Salt Lake City). Whittingham's first overall career victory was as Utah's co-head coach in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.

Utah last visited Tucson in 2004, beating the Wildcats 23-6. The last time the Utes played in the state of Arizona was in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, where the Utes beat Pitt 35-7 to finish a 12-0 season.

Utah leads the all-time series with Arizona 19-15-2 and the series is tied 8-8-2 in Tucson. The Utes are riding a two-game win streak (2004 and 2005) and have won three of the last five matchups.

Utah and Arizona have played three common opponents this season. Utah is 1-2 against them, with a win over Oregon State (27-8) and losses to USC (23-14) and Washington (31-14). Arizona is 0-3 against the trio, with losses to USC (48-41), Oregon State (37-27) and Washington (42-31).

Utah, which went 3-0 in non-conference play (beating Montana State, Brigham Young and Pittsburgh), won its first Pac-12 game last Saturday, beating Oregon State 27-8.

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

Utah lost two more players for the season against Oregon State: co-starting offensive guard Latu Heimuli (foot) and linebacker J.J. Williams (foot). The Utes have now lost seven players for the season to injury, including starting quarterback Jordan Wynn (shoulder surgery Oct. 20), co-starting fullback/tight end Dallin Rogers (knee), co-starting safety Keith McGill (shoulder surgery Oct. 20), co-starting offensive guard Heimuli (foot), starting punt returner Charles Henderson (knee) and frequently-used backup linebackers Boo Andersen (knee surgery Oct. 31) and Williams (foot) ... Utah has played five true freshmen this season: safety Eric Rowe, defensive end Nate Fakahafua, running back Harvey Langi, receiver/punt returner Henderson and receiver Quinton Pedroza.

OUTSIDE THE LINES

In addition to regular season road games against Arizona, the Utes have played in two bowl games in Tucson. Utah went 0-2 in Copper Bowl games, losing to Washington State in 1992 (31-28) and to Wisconsin in 1996 (38-10).

U-TWEETS

Utah has three Arizona natives on its roster: F-back Luke Matthews (Phoenix/Desert Vista HS), safety Greg Bird (Mesa/Red Mountain HS) and kicker Kenny Golladay (Mesa/Mountain View HS/Eastern Arizona) ... Arizona is the only school in the Pac-12 against which Utah has a winning record (19-15-2). The Utes have played Washington State to a 5-5 draw to date.

DEFENSIVE DIAMONDS

Utah leads the Pac-12 in total defense (325.6 ypg/22nd NCAA), ranks second in rushing defense (91.0 ypg/11th NCAA) and scoring defense (20.6 ppg/26th) ... Utah has held five of its eight opponents to under 100 net rushing yards: BYU (11), Oregon State (32), Pittsburgh (70), Arizona State (74), Montana State (75) ... Utah held Pitt's Ray Graham, then the nation's second-leading rusher, to 46 yards--103 yards below his average coming into the game ... The Utes are second in the league in opponent fourth-down conversions (4-for-13, 30.8%), sacks (2.88/T-14th NCAA), pass efficiency defense (115.6/24th NCAA), interceptions (10/T-26th NCAA) and turnovers gained (20) ... Utah is third in the Pac-12 in pass defense (234.6) ... The Utes rank 24th in the NCAA (4th in the Pac-12) in red zone defense (17-of-23, 74%).

LAST WEEK

Utah earned its first win as a member of the Pac-12 Conference, beating Oregon State 27-8. John White rushed for a career-high 205 yards on 35 carries (5.9 average) to become the first Ute in nine years to net 200 yards rushing. Jon Hays threw touchdown passes to Dres Anderson and DeVonte Christopher, White rushed for a score and Coleman Petersen made both field goal attempts, including a career-long 48-yarder. Utah held the Beavers to 32 net rushing yards and created four turnovers, including a forced fumble by Chaz Walker on the Utah 1-yard line (recovered by Trevor Reilly). Walker led Utah with 11 tackles (1 for loss), while Tevita Finau collected three sacks for 29 lost yards and Matt Martinez helped seal the win with a fourth-quarter interception--one of three Ute interceptions on the night (others were by Mo Lee and Ryan Lacy).

Quotes from Kyle Whittingham's Weekly Press Conference

Opening Statement:
It was good to get our first Pac-12 win. It took a little longer than we had hoped, but we got it. I thought we played well from start to finish. I thought our defensive effort was outstanding. We held a good quarterback to not a lot of production and really got after the quarterback. Takeaways were really huge for our football team. I thought we played exceptionally well on offense in the first half. We slowed down in the second half, particularly the third quarter, but we're making progress. We took care of the football and scored enough to win the game. The special teams were solid as well; Coleman Petersen made a few more field goals and kickoff coverage continues to be a positive.

Moving on to Arizona, they are coming off a loss to the Huskies. The offense has been moving the ball and scoring points, so we've got our work cut out for us defensively. Their quarterback is exceptional and Criner is an outstanding receiver, just like we face every week in this league. Our offense needs to continue taking care of the football. John White was really the majority of our offense on Saturday. As White goes, so goes the offense, that's how it seems to be this season. When he has a big game, we typically win. That needs to happen again this week. White is the featured back in our offense. He has been more than willing to do what he has been asked.

On the progress of Jon Hays:
He did make progress in the way that he managed the offense and made decisions. He took care of the football, which is job number one on offense. His numbers were very modest. We didn't throw a whole bunch and when White is ripping off runs you don't need to. We play to our strengths and understand who we are and we need to follow our blueprint for victory. That's great defense and solid special teams and to take care of the football on offense.

On Arizona quarterback Nick Foles:
They spread their receivers four-wide 50-percent of the time. They have a lot of skill and speed on the field. He is a classic drop-back passer. He's extremely accurate. He has an excellent touch on the football. He doesn't try to gun the ball all over, but he has a great feel to put the ball where receivers will be open. That's a great attribute for a quarterback.

On John White nearing 1,000 yards rushing:
He's still early in his career, but so far he's off to a great start, closing in on the milestone. Time will tell if he is in the same category as others who have reached 1,000 yards. We've had some good running backs come through here. He's off to a great start and he has the right mentality and all the tools. I don't see why he wouldn't be in the conversation when all is said and done. Right now he is working hard and trying to find a way to help us win.

On the offensive line:
I've said that the Cal game was our worst game of the year by far, and this was a night and day difference. We regrouped as a team and came back, and give our players all the credit. We had a great week of practice and great passion and energy during the game and that was showing in our play. The offensive line did an outstanding job. When a running back runs for over 200 yards, there is great blocking going on. We need to continue that trend and do the things that we did against Oregon State and build rather than take a step back.

On getting through difficult spots in the year:
I think the key is to keep the players up and confident, and a lot of positive energy from the coaching staff. The staff has to set the tone. That is a big key and then you have to have great senior leadership. Tony Bergstrom and the other seniors have done a good job making sure we don't get in a situation where we don't throw in the towel. Stay positive, have a lot of energy, and continue the work ethic and keeping things intact.

On Tevita Finau:
He got here last year after the season had started. He was one of the really late arrivals. He didn't get here in time to have an impact and had to work to get into our deep defensive line. He's been getting better and better. He's very versatile, he's been spending most of his time at tackle. The stats had him for three sacks, we had him for four, and he made a very big impact on the game. He is totally unselfish, never complains, is talented and works hard. I wish we could have gotten him sooner, but I'm glad we have him now and hopefully he will be a factor in our next few ball games.

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