The Utes’ calling card for most years has been a stout running game and stingy defense. Its passing game enjoyed a resurgence in the last two years but has been a shortcoming in 2023. How can these aspects affect the ASU game? Here’s our examination of Saturday’s opponent.
Utah Offense
With star quarterback Cam Rising out of action all season, Utah has turned to Bryson Barnes as its starter in hopes of helping to keep the Utes on top of the Pac-12 Conference as they have been the past few seasons.
Barnes’ output has objectively fallen way short of the standard set by Rising, as he has just 769 passing yards with four touchdowns to five interceptions with 128 net rushing yards with three scores. He has just one game above 200 passing yards this year – his lone 200-yard game in 19 career appearances for Utah – as he had 235 passing yards with three touchdown throws and a rushing score against USC two weeks ago. That said, Barnes does boast a perfect 5-0 record as starting quarterback for the Utes.
Utah’s run game has also been a patchwork group, to say the least, starting with Ja’Quinden Jackson, originally a quarterback transfer from Texas.
On the year, Jackson leads Utah with 99 carries for 487 yards with a touchdown and also has four receptions for 21 yards. He has a pair of 100-yard games this season, as he notched 129 yards on 19 carries against Baylor and 117 yards on 26 carries versus USC.
Behind Jackson, Jaylon Glover is second on the team in rushing as he has 80 carries for 295 yards with two touchdowns, along with four catches for 40 yards. He had a season-high 86 yards on 25 carries against UCLA earlier this year.
Out of necessity due to personnel issues, safety Sione Vaki has doubled as a running back as well, and on the year, he has carried 30 times for 243 yards – a very impressive 8.1 yards per carry average – with two touchdown runs in addition to six receptions for 144 yards with two scoring catches.
At wide receiver, Devaughn Vele, an Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 pick last year, is the team’s standout, while Money Parks and Mikey Matthews are listed as potential starters as well.
Vele leads the team with 281 receiving yards on 22 receptions in seven games, while Matthews paces the Utes with 23 receptions for 221 yards in eight games, but neither Vele nor Matthews has caught a touchdown pass this year. Parks ties for the team-high with two touchdown receptions and has 20 total catches for 227 yards this year.
The most notable tight end factory in the Pac-12 Conference in recent years, Utah remains without the services of star Brant Kuithe due to injury. In his place, Miki Suguturaga and Landen King are the top two tight ends, but the productivity has not been anywhere near what Utah typically shows, as King has three catches for 22 yards with two touchdowns, and Suguturaga Has three receptions for 36 yards.
On the offensive line, Spencer Fano is slated to start at left tackle, Keaton Bills at left guard, Kolinu’u Faaiu at center, Michael Mokofisi at right guard, and Sataoa Laumea at right tackle.
Of the group, Laumea (40 career starts entering Saturday’s game) and Bills (32) are the team’s longest-tenured linemen, while Mokofisi also brings 21 career starts into this weekend’s contest.
Laumea, one of the top linemen in the conference and the active team leader in career starts, was a First-Team All-Pac-12 member last year, an Honorable Mention choice in 2021, and a Second-Team All-Pac-12 pick in 2020 and, while Bills was an Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 selection in 2022.
Utah Offense Summary
Given the injuries, it makes sense that Utah has one of the least productive offenses that the Utes have fielded in recent memory, as in four of eight games, the offense has scored 24 or fewer points, and last week, Utah scored in single digits for the second time this year.
Overall, Utah ranks 11th in the Pac-12 – with ASU bringing up the rear at 12th – in scoring offense with a 21.2 points per game average, which also ranks 107th nationally.
The Utes also rank 119th nationally and last in the Pac-12 in pass offense (159.2) and 104th nationally in total offense (332.0), though the run game has a respectable ranking of 45th in the country at 172.8 yards per game.
Boasting the vaunted defense that Utah seems to have every season, the offense simply needs not to lose games for the Utes.
Utah Defense
In Utah’s defensive alignment, ends Van Fillinger and Jonah Elliss surround tackles Junior Tafuna and Keanu Tanuvasa in the starting lineup.
Elliss is having a spectacular season and should be on the short list for the Pac-12 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year as he has 32 tackles, including 14.0 for loss with 10.0 sacks. He currently leads the Pac-12 in both sacks and TFLs and ranks third nationally in sacks and fourth in the country in tackles for loss.
Tanuvasa has 20 tackles, including 6.0 for loss with 2.0 sacks; Fillinger has 15 tackles, including 3.0 for loss with 2.5 sacks, and Tafuna has 12 tackles, including 2.0 for loss with one sack.
Tafuna was a Second-Team All-Pac-12 selection, and Elliss was an Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 choice last season – but Elliss is basically a surefire lock for a first-team all-conference nod this season.
At linebacker, Karene Reid and Sione Fotu join Stanford transfer Levani Damuni as the projected starters.
Damuni has 38 tackles, including one for loss, while Reid also has 38 tackles with an interception. Fotu has 15 tackles on the year.
Reid was a Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors recipient in 2022, while Damuni was an Honorable Mention all-conference pick last year with Stanford.
In the secondary, cornerbacks JaTravis Broughton and Zemaiah Vaughn figure to be joined by free safety Cole Bishop, strong safety Sione Vaki – who also may see time at running back – along with nickel back Tao Johnson.
Bishop and Vaki tie for the team lead with 42 tackles while Bishop also has 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble, while Vaki has 6.5 tackles for loss, with a sack and an interception.
Vaughn has 27 tackles and a team-high five pass breakups, while Broughton has 23 tackles on the year. Johnson has 21 tackles with four pass breakups so far this season.
Bishop, one of the better safeties in the Pac-12, was an Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 selection in both 2021 and ’22, while Broughton was an Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 pick back in 2020.
Utah Defense Summary
Death, taxes, and a tremendously strong Utah defense.
Year-in, year-out, though the personnel changes, the effectiveness remains the same. Utah ranks seventh in the country in rushing defense (86.0) tied for 15th nationally in team sacks per game (3.12), while placing 18th nationally in both scoring defense (17.5) and total defense (307.2).
Teams have had relative success passing against the Utes, as Utah ranks 59th nationally, allowing 221.2 passing yards per game.
Naturally, as the statistics indicate, the primary prowess of the Utah defense lies in its front seven, which figures to be the biggest test of the year to date for the Sun Devil offensive line that has had more than its fair share of issues this season, although the ASU o-line is coming off what was by far its best game of the season against Washington State.
Utah Special Teams
Utah seemingly has elite special teams performers every season, and in at least some capacities, this year is no exception, as punter Jack Bouwmeester is on his way to perhaps a First-Team All-Pac-12 season as he ranks 13th nationally and leads the conference with a 46.08-yard average on 38 punts this season.
Kicker Cole Becker has excelled as well, as he has connected on 9-of-11 field goal attempts with a long of 51 yards.
Mikey Matthews has been the team’s primary returns specialist and averages 23.44 yards on nine kickoff returns and 3.14 yards on 14 punt returns.
Overall Summary
Following a rash of injuries to marquee players along with a loss to Oregon last week, though Utes clocked in at No. 18 in the first College Football Playoff poll of the season, with two conference losses, it likely will take a bit of luck for Utah to return to the Pac-12 championship game for what would be the third consecutive season and fifth time in six years.
Though the noon local time kickoff is fairly advantageous compared to a later start this time of year, playing in Salt Lake City is never easy for any team at any time. ASU is no exception to that, as the Sun Devils have lost their last two road trips to Rice-Eccles Stadium by a combined 32 points and have dropped three of the last four appearances at Utah. Overall in the series, ASU has lost five of the last seven, with the most recent wins coming in 2017-18.
The series between these two squads, of course, will continue beyond this season as the Sun Devils and Utes move on to the Big 12 Conference in 2024.
This weekend’s game figures to be a relatively low-scoring affair, as it might be a bit of a surprise if either team reaches 30 points. Though the Sun Devil defense should be able to have success against the Utah offense, the key for Arizona State will be to keep the Ute defense at bay – an objective that is much more easily said than done.
Familiar Faces
· ASU DB Alphonso Taylor played ten games for Utah in 2019
· Utah WR Kaimana Hanohano (Gilbert Highland HS), OL Caleb Lomu (Gilbert Highland HS), OL Zereoue Williams (Phoenix Mountain Pointe HS), and RB Daniel Wood (Gilbert Highland HS) all played high school football in the state of Arizona
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