Arizona Football: Can Wildcats earn statement win over Utah?
By Zach Bigalke
Utah is a half-game ahead of Arizona football overall, but the Wildcats are a game up in the Pac-12 South race. Which team will prevail in #Pac12AfterDark?
Utah enters their Friday-night showdown at home with Arizona at something of a crossroads. The Utes ended their two-game losing streak in Week 6 with an emphatic 40-21 takedown of Stanford on the road. Now Kyle Whittingham’s team returns home with hopes of returning to .500 in Pac-12 play.
Utah’s top-20 defense is giving up fewer than 300 yards per game as they allow just 17.2 points on average. The front seven is shutting down rushing attacks, giving up only 75 yards per outing, and they hold teams scoreless on 38.5 percent of trips into the red zone. That has compensated for an offense that ranks 83rd in yards generated and 94th in scoring.
The offensive line has been the foundation for what success Arizona has so far enjoyed in 2018. The group ranks in the top 15 nationally in both sacks allowed and tackles for loss given up. They have been stellar at opening holes for a backfield led by J.J. Taylor, who currently ranks in the top 20 nationally in rushing yards in 2018.
Some players, though, are still adjusting to life under Kevin Sumlin. Khalil Tate has looked nothing like the Heisman hopeful that dazzled opponents and fans last season. While Tate has thrown for more than 1400 yards and tossed 11 touchdown passes so far, he has failed to get going on the ground.
Can Arizona pull off the upset in Salt Lake City? Stranger things have happened when the Pac-12 has aired weekday night games. Here’s how you can watch the Friday night #Pac12AfterDark action between Arizona and Utah:
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Date: Friday, Oct. 12
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV
Keys to Victory
Utah needs to do a better job of flipping field position on special teams. The Utes rank 87th nationally in punt returns, but it is on kickoffs where they really fall apart. Only two other FBS teams rank worse than the Utes when it comes to kickoff return average. For Utah to avoid any threat of an upset at home, they must prevent the Wildcats from winning the field position battle.
Arizona, meanwhile, ranks outside the top 100 in both penalties and penalty yards per game. Kevin Sumlin’s crew needs to find more discipline if they hope to pull off the upset on the road. Khalil Tate also needs to open up running lanes to help break down one of the nation’s top rushing defenses and find space both for himself and the Wildcats running backs.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com
Point Spread: Utah -13.5
Over/Under: 50.5
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Prediction
This is going to be far closer than the oddsmakers are assuming. Utah will allow an early score to fall behind, rebound to take a lead, and then hold off the Wildcats in a nailbiter. Look for the two teams to play out a defensive battle, as each side gets a defensive touchdown, and only a field goal will separate them as Utah fails to cover the spread.
Final Score: Utah 31, Arizona 28