Game Preview: Utah at Arizona

SALT LAKE CITY — The Arizona Wildcats looked terrible to start the season, but since head coach Mike Stoops got fired a couple of weeks ago, they have played with a renewed energy. Since Stoops’ firing, the Wildcats walloped UCLA and looked good at Washington last week. This Arizona team is not close to the same team they were when they lost to Oregon State (37-27) in Stoops’ last game on Oct. 8.

So what can we expect to see from the Wildcats when they welcome the Utes to town Saturday night? We’ll tell you in our weekly Utes’ preview:

What did we learn about the Utes from their game against Oregon State last week?

• The Utes have a new blueprint for their temporary success. Until the Utes solve their problem at quarterback (which should happen next year), they will have to rely on stopping the run, running it well and taking care of the football. If the fail at one of them, they’ll lose.
• John White IV is legit. With his inconsistency this season, people have questioned White’s ability to get it done at the Pac-12 level. Yes, Oregon State is not very good, but 205 yards is great against anybody in any conference.
• The DeVonte difference. DeVonte Christopher made a noticeable difference for the Utes’ offense in his return to the lineup against the Beavers. If nothing else, his threat kept Oregon State from loading the box against the run.

What lingering questions do we still have about the Utes?

• Can Jon Hays get the job done when he needs to? Utah clearly thought they were going to have to throw the ball more against Oregon State, but the Beavers never forced them to. We’ve yet to see Hays make the plays when the Utes’ offense needs him to.
• Will the offensive line hold up? The offensive line looked much better last week than it did against Cal, but how could it not have? Arizona will be coming with a lot more pressure, the O-line will be tested this week much more than it was against the Beavers.
• How many more injuries can the Utes sustain? Utah lost two more players for the rest of the season during the Oregon State game. Co-starting offensive lineman Latu Heimuli is out for the rest of the year with a foot injury, as is linebacker J.J. Williams, also with a foot injury. That makes seven season-ending injuries for the Utes so far in 2011.

What can the Utes expect from Arizona?

• A lot of passes. Every week, the Utes face a team that likes to put the ball in the air. Such is life in the Pac-12. This week, however, they will see a team who throws it more than anyone else. Arizona throws it 47.6 times per game, tops in the conference and good for second in the nation.
• Not many turnovers. Arizona doesn’t turn the ball over much, especially for how much they throw the ball. The Wildcats have only lost four fumbles all year. However, they don’t force many turnovers either (10).
• Speed. The Wildcats have a lot of team speed, especially on the offensive side of the ball with playmaker wide receivers Juron Criner and Gino Crump, the most lethal of Foles’ available weapons. However, Arizona’s top receiver, Dan Buckner, is out for the game with a separated shoulder.

What can we expect from the Utes against Arizona?

• A continued emphasis on running the ball. This week it will look a little different than last week, but the goal will still be the same: to run the ball down the throats of the opponent. The Utes should be able to do it, too. Arizona ranks 77th in the country against the run, giving up an average of 174 yards per game.
• A few more shots on the edge. Hays went for it all a couple of times against the Beavers last week but didn’t need to force anything downfield, so he didn’t. The Utes have an advantage at wide receiver on the outside this week. Look for Chow to take advantage of that a few more times than normal. Arizona will play with eight defenders in the box — a lot more than most teams, too — which leaves Christopher, Reggie Dunn and Dres Anderson facing man coverage.
• More of a spread look, but less of a spread output. The offense will likely try to spread the field out with a lot of spread out formations, but they will do so only to force Arizona out of loading the box. Expect the Utes to run it out of a spread attack more than normal.
• Pressure on Foles. Expect defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake to dial up lots of different blitz packages for Arizona quarterback Nick Foles. Arizona tends to give up big sacks that stop drives and the Utes are second in the conference in sacking the quarterback.

Miscellaneous:

• The Utes and Wildcats have met 36 times. That makes Arizona the second-most faced Pac-12 team for Utah, second only to Colorado.
• Utah leads the all-time series, 19-15-2.
• The Utes have won the last two games against Arizona, the last game between the two coming in 2005.
• That 2005 matchup was Kyle Whittingham’s first game (and win) as head coach of the Utes.
• Utah is 8-8-2 against Arizona in Tucson.
• Utah is 0-2 in games played in Tucson not against Arizona (losing two Copper Bowls, one to Washington State in 1992 and the other to Wisconsin in 1996).
• The game will be broadcast on KJZZ at 5 p.m. MST.
• It will be the homecoming game for Arizona.
• Arizona and Utah have three common opponents this season. Arizona lost to USC (48-41), Oregon State (37-27), and Washington (42-31). Utah lost to USC (23-14) and Washington (31-14) and beat Oregon State last week (27-8). Conclusion: Again, the matchup of Utah’s defense against the opponent’s offense is not a good one for the Utes, but the opposite matchup (Utah’s offense vs. Arizona’s defense) is favorable for Utah. If the Utes are going to win, the game will have to be low- scoring, but the Utes may need to be in the high 20s to the low 30s to beat the Wildcats, who seem to score against everyone. If White can get some traction on the ground again, the Utes should limit Arizona’s possessions and should win the game. However, if Foles has time to pass, it could be a long day for the Utes.

Trevor Amicone is the sports director at 88.1 Weber FM "Ogden's Radio Station" and host of the sports talk radio show, "Fully Loaded Sports with Trevor Amicone." Find more of his blogs at TrevorsTopTens.com. Follow him on Twitter at @TrevorAmicone.

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