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SALT LAKE CITY — Now that the dust has settled on yet another rivalry game, it’s time to look ahead at Arizona State. The Utes play their first Pac-12 game of the season Saturday night in Tempe when they take on the Sun Devils. Let’s take a look at the biggest story lines of the game.
1. Todd Graham adjustments. Last season, Todd Graham was the head coach at Pittsburgh when the Utes went back East and wreaked all sorts of havoc on the Panthers' offense.
Utah did not allow an offensive touchdown in that game and pulled away late to win it 26-14. Now, this Arizona State team is far more talented than that Pitt team was, and the Sun Devils have a ton of playmakers. Maybe most importantly, Arizona State’s skill set fits Graham’s style of football. Look for Graham’s offense to have a little bit more success this season than his Panthers had a year ago.
2. Will John White make a difference? White was out for the BYU game last week, and the Utes’ rushing attack was plain awful. A big reason for that has been the inexperience of the offensive line, but the impatience of the backs who have replaced White also contributed. White’s patience should make a difference if he plays much on Saturday. The Utes are going to need White to have success on the ground if they are going to beat the Sun Devils.3. Which offensive line will show up? The Ute offensive line was terrible at Utah State two weeks ago, but they played much better against BYU. The pass protection was greatly improved against a great defensive line in BYU. Hard to believe that a big reason for that was the play of true freshman Jeremiah Poutasi.
The Utes will have their work cut out for them against a team that blitzes about three-quarters of the time. The Arizona State defensive front seven is very small, but it is also very fast, maybe the fastest the Utes will face all year. The Sun Devils lead the conference in sacks with 10. Expect the Utes to help Jon Hays out by rolling the pocket and setting up a lot of play action.
4. Change nothing, nothing changes. I remember being at Rice-Eccles Stadium last season when these two teams met and chaos broke out on the Arizona State sideline. The cameras didn’t catch it, so very few people know about it, but Arizona State players on the bench went after some Ute fans in the stands while coaches did nothing to stop it, almost encouraging it as it happened.Arizona State has had great athletes for nearly a decade, but the complete and disturbing lack of discipline has led to consistent underperformance. Now, Graham seems to have brought discipline to the program. The team is 11th in the nation in fewest penalties so far in a young 2012 season, and the Sun Devils are much more disciplined with Graham at the helm.
5. Turnovers. This should probably be a story line every week, but this week it is critical for the Utes. They have forced 10 fumbles this season to lead the nation. Arizona State has lost a league-worst five fumbles this season. The Sun Devils have more talent and speed than the Utes do, but turnovers could be the equalizer in this game. If the Utes are going to win on Saturday night, they’re going to have to come out plus-two on turnovers.
Trevor Amicone is the founder of byutahinsiders.com, which covers BYU, Utah and national college football with weekly polls, bowl projections, opinions and analysis. Follow its brand new Twitter page at @BYUtahInsiders and Trevor's at @TrevorAmicone.
