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SALT LAKE CITY — The No. 5 Stanford Cardinal will travel to Salt Lake City Saturday to take on the University of Utah in a battle of the defenses. And Cardinal head coach David Shaw said it will be a difficult challenge going against Utah's linemen.
"They have defensive linemen that don't get moved," Shaw said during the Pac-12 teleconference earlier in the week. "Our philosophy is to move people and these guys don't get moved. They play great with their hands; they play great off of double teams. When they get single blocks that change ways — you think you've got them pinned in and then they go the other way."
In particular, Shaw pointed to Utah's rush defense has a threat to his offensive schemes.
"They make it very, very difficult to run the ball inside," Shaw said. "We sat here happy a year ago that Star Lotulelei has left, but they're playing the same way inside. They're playing tough, they're playing physical, they're very active inside."
- Utah (3-2, 0-2 Pac-12) vs. No. 5 Stanford (5-0, 3-0 Pac-12)
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 12
- Time: 4:00 p.m. MDT
- Site: Rice-Eccles Stadium (45,017/FieldTurf)
- TV: Pac-12 Networks
- Radio: ESPN700, Sirius 110/XM 198
- Series Record: Stanford leads 3-2
- Last Meeting: 1996 (Utah 17-10)
Utah and Stanford have never played in a conference game and have not faced each other since Utah beat the Cardinal in 1996 to improve to 2-0 in Palo Alto and 2-3 overall. Neither team has won a home game (the Utes are 0-2 in Salt Lake City). Stanford's series edge came on a win in Berkeley in 1924.
Utah is ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in rush defense, holding opponents to an average of 131.8 yards per game. Linemen Nate Orchard, Tenny Palepoi, LT Tuipulotu and Trevor Reilly have led the charge with a combined 101 tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss for 66 yards.
Utah also leads the Pac-12 in sacks with 18 for a loss of 113 yards. The Utes average 3.6 sacks per game, with the defensive linemen accounting for six sacks for a loss of 45 yards.
"They have every blitz known to man — they've done it one time or another," Shaw said. "They can play with coverage, they can play with pressure."
However, Stanford is equally — if not more — competitive against the ground game. While not as good statistically as in year's past, the Cardinal still boast the No. 2 rush defense in the conference and No. 22 in the NCAA, holding teams to an average of 111.8 yards per game.
"They're physical — probably the most physical team in the conference," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said at Monday's press conference. "They've got all the respect, and it's going to be tough to move the ball on them.
"They're the most physical team that we've played to date, without a doubt, and as I mentioned, the most physical team in the Pac-12 in my estimation at least to this point in time," Whittingham added.
While the rush defense is where these teams are particularly physical and tough, the passing defense has been less spectacular on both ends. Stanford ranks ninth in the Pac-12, with Utah falling in place right behind them at 10th. The Cardinal give up, on average, 260.8 yards per game through the air, while Utah gives up 274.2 yards.
Whittingham spoke earlier in the week about the progress of the secondary, but said there is still room to grow.
They make it very, very difficult to run the ball inside. We sat here happy a year ago that Star Lotulelei has left, but they're playing the same way inside. They're playing tough, they're playing physical, they're very active inside.
–David Shaw
"It's taken steps forward, without a doubt," he said. "We've still got a lot of work to do. I'm not going to say that we're there yet, because we're not there by a long shot."
Shaw said he is looking for a balanced approach against the Utes, saying it's one of the "toughest" aspects about playing Utah at home.
"We always want to be balanced; that's going to be the tough part — all of these guys are tough against the run. We have to be ready for their pressure, their blitzes," he said. "We have to be very sound in protection. But we want to be able to be even in the run and pass. We want to be able to run it and throw it and be efficient in both worlds."
While the defense is what Shaw says he is focused on, it was the Utah offense that he said could be a threat, particularly with the talent of quarterback Travis Wilson under center.
"Offensively, when they don't turn the ball over, they're dangerous. They're very dangerous," Shaw said. "They've got a great quarterback that I watched play in high school ... and the guy can stand in the pocket and see over everybody and make the throws. They're a very, very dangerous football team.
"(Travis) is a big guy. He's a better athlete than you'd think being as tall as he is. He can run he can move and he can make all the throws. He can make NFL throws," Shaw said. "So the key for us is that we're sound in coverage and don't give up the big play. Hopefully we can get to him with the pressure and hopefully the defensive backs can get their hands on the ball."
