ASU Football Preview vs Utah

TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State will face its toughest test of the year thus far as a physical Utah team comes to Tempe on Friday night. The matchup features two 4-1 football teams looking to continue their hot start to the year.

Last year, the Utah Utes had a convincing win over ASU 55-3.

This year, head coach Kenny Dillingham is hopeful the results will be much different as the team is bigger and stronger. The Sun Devils are coming off a comeback victory vs Kansas, whereas the Utes are coming off a bye week.

Three Keys to Victory for ASU

Winning on 3rd Down

The Sun Devils defense has struggled over the past few weeks getting off the field on 3rd down. They are currently ranked 68th nationally with a 39.73% rate. Great defenses consistently get off the field and it will be especially necessary against an opponent who likes to run the football. Luckily for ASU, Utah’s offense ranks #117th nationally only converting at a 30% rate.

The Sun Devils coaches have also emphasized limiting the penalties on 3rd down since last week they gave Kansas three first downs by penalties on third down. By giving the opponent extra sets of downs, it puts extra pressure on the defense and keeps them on the field longer than they should have to.

“Obviously you see on third down the last two weeks it hasn’t been very good,” defensive coordinator Brian Ward said. ‘Third down we’re just continuing to make an emphasis on this is our money down. This is when we have to be able to execute.'”

Stopping the Utes’ Rushing attack

A staple of the Utes offense for years under head coach Kyle Whittingham has been a dominant downhill rushing attack. The Utes are currently averaging 181 yards per game on the ground.

The Sun Devils are only allowing 96 rushing yards per game which ranks No. 11 nationally. It will be critical for ASU to stop the run, especially on early downs to force Utah to pass the ball.

“They execute at a high level,” Ward said. “You can see that their culture is really built around their offensive line and defensive lines.”

This matchup will be strength-on-strength and likely will have a major impact on the outcome of the game. The Sun Devils need to put all the pressure on senior quarterback Cameron Rising to make the big plays on the road.

The Sun Devils Depth

The Devils depth will be put to the test throughout the game in different ways. The Sun Devil defense will be without two starters on defense. Redshirt junior defensive lineman Clayton Smith and junior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott will both miss the first half after committing targeting penalties last week. The depth on the team will be tested as soon as the defense takes the field and will need to step up and match Utah’s physicality.

Arizona State is also coming into the game on a short week with only six days in between games. Whereas Utah is coming off of a bye week with 13 days of rest. This is a rarity for football teams to not have the same amount of rest on a short week, but the Sun Devils have adjusted practice this week to help.

“We lost about 30-35% of our real speed work [by] having a short week,” Dillingham said. “But it’s all about the mindset when you go into the game. If you’re fresh, you play really hard, you play smart football; smart, tough, the ball, the team, we’re going to be able to beat anybody.”

National Exposure

The two teams square off at 7:30 p.m. Friday night on ESPN. Dillingham is excited for the national exposure that comes with the game and is looking forward to another raucous environment.

“Every recruit in the country is going to see the kind of support we have for our football program,” Dillingham said. “Every recruit is going to look at that and say, ‘man, that place is rocking’ or say, ‘not a lot of people there.”’

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