Utah Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Arizona State in Week 8
By Dante Pryor
Utah football hosts the Arizona State Sun Devils in Salt Lake City. What will happen? Here are three bold predictions for the Pac-12 showdown.
It’s a Pac-12 South Division clash when the Utah Utes host the Arizona State Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City late Saturday afternoon. This is one of two games for first place in the Pac-12 South. The Arizona/USC winner will also have one conference loss. Both the Utes and the ‘Devils are coming off of wins last weekend. The ‘Devils another one-possession win against the Washington State Cougars, and the Utes another blow out win; this time against the Oregon State Beavers.
The Sun Devils and the Utes boast two of the best defenses in the Pac-12, so this should be a physical game. Both teams want to establish the run, but the ‘Devils have struggled to run this season. The crucial match-up is in the trenches. Can Arizona State block the Utah front? Can Utah block the Arizona State front? Arizona State might have more difficulty blocking Utah than Utah blocking Arizona State.
Here are three more bold predictions for what promises to be a fantastic game:
3. Utah runs for 200-plus yards
There’s a caveat to this one: Zack Moss doesn’t do it alone. We know that the Utes are committed to running the football. The run game is the foundation of what Utah does on offense. They want to force you into man coverage situations and either throw off of play action, or some RPOs. Also, they are built to stay on schedule.
Utah will run for 200 yards because it’s committed to the ground game. Arizona State won’t run and hide from Utah on the scoreboard. Even if they lead the game, the Utes can still run the football — the Sun Devils don’t beat teams by five touchdowns.
The Utes will lean on Moss, but he won’t be the only one carrying the football. They have six players with 10 carries or more this season. Not only that, they’ll use a jet sweep or two with their receivers.
Finally, quarterback Tyler Huntley has more responsibilities in the run game. He keeps on read-option plays more often this year, and isn’t afraid to take off and run if flushed from the pocket.