ASU bracing for physical Utah
ASU started Pac-12 play with a 1-3 record, but the Sun Devils still have a realistic shot at the South Division title with four games remaining, starting with an anticipated matchup against No. 16 Utah on Saturday in Tempe, Ariz.
When the Sun Devils (4-4, 2-3 Pac-12) play the Utes (6-2, 4-2), it will mark the fifth ranked opponent ASU has faced this season.
Utah has won four straight games, scoring 40 or more points in each game.
“This is a senior-laden team and it doesn’t give up a lot of points,” ASU coach Herm Edwards said of Utah. “They’re big and physical up front on both sides of the ball, especially with the defensive line, and the secondary is active so we’re going to see a lot of man coverage.”
Aside from Utah, all five of the other South teams have three losses. After the Utah game, ASU has games left against UCLA, Oregon and rival Arizona.
Edwards said last week’s win at USC gives his team something to build on after having lost four of the five previous games. The Sun Devils took a 24-7 lead, then gave up 21 straight points but were able to overcome that and hand the Trojans a rare loss at the Coliseum.
“That was a great win for our guys,” Edwards said. “To beat a team with that many athletes there where they don’t usually lose. It was a big confidence-builder for us. Our guys have battled all season and it was nice to see them rewarded for that.”
Edwards compares Utah to opponents ASU has already faced, such as Michigan State, which it beat on a last-second field goal, and Stanford, which it lost by seven points two weeks ago.
“They’re a physical football team,” he said of Utah. “They like to run the football and they run it with a purpose. They remind me a lot of those two teams we have played.”
Junior quarterback Tyler Huntley and junior running back Zack Moss are the toughest players for Utah to stop. Moss, the third-leading rusher in the conference, has rushed for 10 touchdowns and 964 yards, an average of 120.5 per game.
The Sun Devils’ defense will be missing at least one player. Freshman defensive lineman D.J. Davidson suffered a broken right ankle last week and is out for the season. Senior safety Jalen Harvey was being evaluated early in the week because of injured shoulder. He has a team-high 59 tackles, 47 of those solo, after changing from a receiver this season.