GAME BREAKDOWN
KEY MATCHUP: As much as there will be attention on Arizona State WR N’Keal Harry, someone else the Wildcats will have to contend with on the offensive side of the ball is RB Eno Benjamin, who leads the Pac-12 in rushing with 1,444 yards this season. The Wildcats have the 66th-best run defense in the FBS and have surrendered an average of 164.9 yards per game.
While the Wildcats have improved defensively with their ability to get after the quarterback over the course of the season, the run defense has not improved as much as the team would have liked. Last week Arizona gave up over 120 yards on the ground to Washington State, a team that is much more focused on the passing game. That doesn’t bode well for the group heading into Saturday’s matchup with the Sun Devils.
Arizona DE JB Brown and LB Jalen Harris have emerged over the course of the season as impactful players on the edge for the Wildcats, while Dereck Boles and PJ Johnson have brought size to the front. Three of those four players accounted for tackles for loss against Washington State.
“He’s a violent runner,” Arizona head coach Kevin Sumlin said of Benjamin. “… They present an issue for us in a lot of different ways.”
DRAFT SLANT
–WR Shawn Poindexter has been on a different kind of pace as of late with his last six receptions all going for touchdowns. He caught two more touchdown passes in the loss to Washington State last week, bringing his total for the season to 10. It also marked the fourth straight game he has caught two touchdown passes.
“I think what you’re seeing is his understanding of the game has gotten better,” coach Kevin Sumlin said of Poindexter’s current touchdown streak. “He works really hard during the week at the little things in the game. He wants to be great.”
Sumlin likened the Arizona senior receiver to one of his former players who is now in the NFL, Mike Evans.
ROSTER REPORT
–S Scottie Young Jr. will miss the first half of Saturday’s Territorial Cup Game after he was ejected for targeting in the second half of the loss to Washington State. The sophomore safety had six tackles in the game before being forced to leave.
–WR Shawn Poindexter will tie Arizona’s single-season touchdown reception record with one more touchdown catch. He is currently tied with Rob Gronkowski (2008) and Keith Hartwig (1976) for second on the list.
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