With its most highly touted opponent in No.16 Utah, coming to town Friday, Arizona State has a unique chance to prove its quality to the rest of the Big 12 conference and the CFB realm. With a team that has stamped its identity off of toughness, the Sun Devils expect themselves to be referred to in similar conversations. For Dillingham, the matchup is an inspection of how far the program has come in his short tenure as head coach, going up against an opponent with comparable qualities he desires for the team.

“I think it's a great test for our guys in terms of how much work they've put in up to this point,” Dillingham said. “Not the excuse of we have a six-day week and [Utah] have two weeks off it this comes down to the last two years of preparation specifically for this team, the last ten months of preparation, and how we've prepped in the weight room, to determine how well we play at the line of scrimmage, this is a 10-month evaluation not a six-day evaluation. Not as a measuring stick in terms of where we are this season but in terms of how much further we have to get as a program.”

The Utes have constructed a consistent football team over the years, with head coach Kyle Whittingham at the helm of the unit since 2005, making him the third longest-tenured head coach in Division 1 FBS. Whittingham's teams have historically played with a physical edge, winning at the line of scrimmage. This is evident on their offensive front through dynamic running back Micah Bernard, who is fifth in the Big 12 in yards per game despite having fewer rushing attempts than any back ahead of him.

For ASU, stopping the rushing front on Friday will be an exacerbated challenge; the matchups would’ve been challenging enough with all of their starters healthy, yet the Sun Devils are forced to play without captains, linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and defensive end Clayton Smith, who both face first half suspensions after being ejected for targeting hits against Kansas.

Elliott, a junior transfer from New Mexico, has been dominant since arriving in Tempe, placing second on the team in total tackles with 36. Smith leads the defensive front, leading the team in sacks by a wide margin with four on the year, coupling that with a team-high 4.5 tackles for loss. Defensive coordinator Brian Ward will have to tap into the depth, likely leaning on players like linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu or defensive end Prince Dorbah to fill the holes of the absent starters.

“Thankfully, we have some depth at those positions,” Ward noted on those absences. “It's just next man up mentality, and if you really look at those two positions, [Elliott and Smith] do start, but they also rotate, so we rotate other guys in for these uh scenarios and um these situations, so it's just really next man up.”

Talking through strategic situations, Dillingham admitted to potentially altering his team's first-half plans if the opportunity arises to minimize the amount of time ASU’s defense has to play short-handed.

“Everybody who watches knows we always defer [Kickoffs]; that's not a secret if we win the toss,” Dillingham said. “This week, for that reason, I'm kind of going back and forth on that, but I do have a lot of belief in the guys that are on the field. and I do believe in that middle eight, and like I said, we're, I believe, 44 to 10 right now in that category, so I don't want to ruin that. I don't know, like I'm still weaving through that. I'll probably not know until we take the field, and I kind of see the feel of the game pregame.”

Additionally, Dillingham will be figuring out who the Utes will line up at quarterback later than sooner, Utah is yet to release who will be the starter on Friday with experienced quarterback Cam Rising back from injury. The 25-year-old has yet to feature since September 17 in a win against Baylor. A likely consensus is the Utes have decided who will go for them on Friday; however, they’ll hold that information to themselves for as long as possible to alter the Sun Devil gameplan, as freshman quarterback Issac Wilson, brother of Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson, has appeared in Rising absence this year.

“I'm for whatever they deem is best so I actually think he's smart not releasing when your quarterback is in limbo,” Dillingham said. “We did a similar thing with Rashada last year we didn't say anything for a little bit just so teams couldn't prepare I think with the current rules that there are I think he's spot on why would you not make us prepare for both like I mean he's absolutely right until they change the rule when it comes to a position of that magnitude.”

For Ward, the signal caller is not the critical portion of preparation for Friday, as Utah’s offense identity will begin with its running game, and that is where ASU will prepare to slow them down in the most effective manner.

“With the style of offense that they play, it's just get ready for Utah,” Ward said simply. “Everything that they do they set it up with the run, and they do a great job so whoever's playing quarterback we're still going to have to defend him, but really it's not about them it's about us and getting our guys in the right position so we can play Fast.”

Offensively ASU will look to play its own brand of football as well, with running back Cam Skattebo and quarterback Sam Leavitt winning Co-player of the week award honors following a statement victory over Kansas. With the senior tailback’s 824 yards, he tops the Big 12 all-purpose yards chart with over 40 yards on anyone else. Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo praised the Utes for their physical brand of football, understanding how programs like those impact his outlook on offense.

“They're one of the top-tier programs in the country,” Arroyo said. “As we all know, that typifies how a program can be put together the right way and can play tough and physical and present presents a real brand of football that I think a lot of people are proud of. Presents a really good challenge what makes it so tough is two decades of putting it together and keeping continuity; I think it is a big piece they recruit really well they know the culture and the mindset of the people that they want in the building.”

For the offensive unit, sticking to the script and managing the tempo will be key. With a redshirt freshman quarterback coming off his best game in his collegiate career, the Sun Devils will look to manage downs and minimize negative plays.

“Stay on schedule we talked about that last week a little bit, what we want to continue to do and that's going to be a thing that's going to be at the forefront of everything we're doing,” Arroyo said. “That's a big key statistic for us on first and second down staying in third manageable; we did a somewhat decent job last week, and against these guys, you're going to have to because they've got [Morgan Scalley, defensive coordinator] has a great job on defense with his packages he has had two weeks off to look at some stuff which is another piece of it.”

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