Sun Devils prepare to host No. 16 Utah in Tough Test

(Photo: ESPN)

Almost a year ago, Arizona State football traveled to then-No. 18 Utah a week removed from a refreshing victory over Washington State. The Sun Devils were 2-6 at the time and had at least a small sense of optimism heading into Salt Lake City.

That positivity was quickly wiped away.

The Utes cruised to a 55-3 victory over ASU, easily the worst defeat first-year head coach Kenny Dillingham endured all season. It’s a game that Dillingham and company, who enter this Friday’s rematch against Utah — this time at home — haven’t forgotten. But this Sun Devils team is far different from the one that stepped into Rice-Eccles Stadium last November.

“We’re just (in) year two,” Dillingham said. “Last year, we didn’t have any depth, we couldn’t practice… We gradually just got worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse, which is unfortunate in year one, because you should be trying to get better.”

Now, ASU is 4-1 and have a much improved roster. With Utah coming into Tempe this year, the possibility of an upset has likely crossed the mind of several Sun Devil fans, and rightfully so. The Utes have looked weaker of late, as they most recently fell to Arizona at home by multiple scores. However, Utah, the No. 16 team in the nation who was picked to win the Big 12 in the conference’s Preseason Media Poll and also boasts a 4-1 record, cannot be taken lightly.

ASU will be without two of its most important players on defense — redshirt junior defensive end Clayton Smith and junior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott — after both were slapped with targeting fouls against Kansas. Win or lose, however, Friday will likely prove a strong measuring stick for just how much Dillingham’s program has improved in year two.

“I think it’s a great test,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “I think it shows you where you’re at. I think it’s an awesome opportunity for your players, your program and your fanbase on a Friday night on ESPN. We’re playing excited with a young group that’s confident and coming off some good wins, and you’ve got a chance to go out and play again.”

Offense

Total Offense: 417 yards/game (10th Big 12), 28.4 points/game (13th Big 12)

Passing: 1,176 yards (10th Big 12), 235.2 yards/game (9th Big 12)

Rushing: 909 yards (9th Big 12), 181.8 yards/game (8th Big 12)

Sixth-year offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Andy Ludwig likely entered the 2024 campaign with a newfound hope based on the weapon he possesses under center. After missing the entire 2023 season due to a knee injury sustained in the Rose Bowl a year prior, senior quarterback Cam Rising was poised to return to the gridiron and attempt to replicate the numbers he produced in 2021 and 2022. Or so he thought.

Rising, who enjoyed his best year in 2022 when he passed for 3,034 yards, ran for 465 more and accrued 32 total touchdowns, looked like his old self in the Utes’ 49-0 season-opening win over Southern Utah. Only throwing 15 times, five of his 10 completions went for scores while he added 25 yards on the ground. But the dynamic playmaker went down again — this time with an injury to his hand after being pushed into a water cooling station in the second quarter of his Week 2 game at Baylor. Just like that, Utah had a vacancy to fill at quarterback.

Enter true freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson.

The brother of Denver Broncos signal caller and former second overall pick Zach Wilson, Isaac was rated a four-star prospect out of high school and tabbed the third-best quarterback from Utah in the 2024 class by 247Sports. He was thrown into the spotlight almost as soon as his collegiate career began and has produced mixed results.

While he owns six passing touchdowns in five games, he’s shown he can be prone to freshman mistakes as he’s also thrown seven interceptions. Wilson and the Utes managed to overcome two of those miscues in a three-point win over then-No. 14 Oklahoma State on Sep. 21, but he again gave the ball away twice against Arizona the next week and wasn’t so fortunate, as the Wildcats trounced Utah at home, 23-10.

According to Brett McMurphy of Action Network, Rising is expected to return to action at Mountain America Stadium on Friday. Either way, Dillingham says that ASU will be prepared regardless of who is under center for the Utes.

“We’re going to prepare for Utah,” Dillingham said. “(Rising) is one of the best quarterbacks in college football, he’s been one of the best quarterbacks in college football, he’s one of the toughest players in college football… So we’re preparing to play Cam and Isaac and whoever we play but more importantly, we’re preparing to play us, and we have to be the best versions of us on (Friday).”

One of Wilson’s top targets has been senior wideout Dorian Singer. Singer, who split time between Arizona and USC in his first three years of college, pulled in nine scores and 1,695 yards during that span and has 359 yards on 26 catches this season. Sixth-year senior tight end Brant Kuithe leads the team in receiving touchdowns with four while senior wideout Money Parks has 190 yards on 14 catches for two touchdowns.

Under Whittingham, the Utes have emphasized winning in the trenches. This year, the offensive line has been middle-of-the-road, as has Utah’s rushing attack, but that’s not to say the running backs room doesn’t possess talent. When it comes to the Utes’ run game, one name stands out above the rest: senior back Micah Bernard. Bernard has accrued 547 rushing yards and 6.7 yards per carry — sixth-best and fifth-best in the Big 12 respectively — in addition to a touchdown.

Sophomore Dijon Stanley has emerged as the Utes’ main receiving back through five games. While he has 62 rushing yards on 16 carries, he’s also made six receptions for an impressive 164 yards and two touchdowns. While ASU’s rush defense has been among the Big 12’s best this season, limiting talented backs like Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks and Kansas’ Devin Neal, defending the run against Utah will likely prove another stiff test.

“As a whole, just the different looks and how efficient they are,” defensive coordinator Brian Ward said of the challenges Utah’s run game presents. “They execute at a high level, you can see that their culture is really built around their offensive lines and defensive line, and that’s really their identity.”

Defense

Total Defense: 280.2 yards/game (2nd Big 12), 15.0 points/game (2nd Big 12)

Passing: 865 yards (3rd Big 12), 173 yards/game (5th Big 12)

Rushing: 536 yards (4th Big 12), 107.2 yards/game (4th Big 12)

Since Morgan Scalley took over as Utah’s defensive coordinator in 2016, his group has been among the best in its league, whether it was the Pac-12 or now the Big 12. Last season, the Utes ranked second in the Pac-12 for yards allowed per game and were also top-3 in pass and rush defense.

It’s been much of the same this season, as Utah is once again in the upper echelon of the Big 12 when it comes to defensive statistics. The Utes possess a defense that can get off the field, too. Through five games, the Scalley’s defense has held opponents to the nation’s fourth-lowest success rate on third downs.

A big reason for this continued defensive success is the pressure it brings from its defensive line. Much like on offense, the Utes succeed on defense by winning battles in the trenches. They love to bring pressure on the defensive line with bear fronts, which feature five players at the line of scrimmage, and it’s paid off. As a team, Utah currently has 12 sacks to its name, tied for the 34th-most in the nation, and senior defensive end Van Fillinger currently has 5.5 sacks — the most in the Big 12 and fifth-most in the entire nation.

But what truly separates Utah’s defensive front is the football acumen it possesses.

“They’ve got high IQs,” offensive line coach Saga Tuitele said. “They know how to get there, and they have a plan. And on top of (that), their physical, but they’re just smart players. You’re not going to fool them, you’re not going to trick them. And that just goes to their coaching staff.”

Utah’s secondary has also proven strong once again this season, led by sophomore safety Tao Johnson, who boasts a team-leading 29 tackles, an interception and pass deflection. After a promising freshman season, sophomore cornerback Elijah Davis has snagged a pair of interceptions through five games.

Sophomore cornerback Smith Snowden is still without a takeaway through the air but has four pass deflections, the most on the Utes. A year removed from leading the Utes with two interceptions, junior linebacker Lander Barton is still without a pick this season. However, he has accrued the third-most tackles on the team this season with 23.

All of the success on defense goes back to the culture Whittingham and Scalley established.

“Two decades of putting it together and keeping continuity is a big piece,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “They recruit really well, they know the culture and the mindset of the people that they want in the building, the types of athletes they want… Their culture is about them, they don’t get too far out of their box. They know what they want to be.”