Heading into Week 10, the University of Utah continues to control its own destiny in the Pac-12. This past Saturday, they convincingly defeated the Arizona Wildcats and their high-powered offense, in less than ideal weather conditions at Rice-Eccles Stadium, 45-20.

Let’s take a look back at our burning questions from last week and look forward to Utah’s matchup against Stanford:

How does Utah’s defense match-up against Wildcats’ quarterback Jayden de Laura?

Jayden de Laura’s passing average is currently 312 yards per game. While a huge part of their offensive success is led by his receiving core, the Utes’ defense played lockdown defense in less than desirable passing conditions, holding Laura to 10/20 for 159 yards passing.

Utah held the Wildcats’ to 387 yards of total offense, sacking Laura three times in their win. Lander Barton led the linebackers with four solo tackles while Karene Reid added additional four tackles, 0.5 TFL for a loss of three yards. Reid said in the post game that studying and having clear communication defensively helped them control the pace.

Utah’s secondary shut down one of the Pac-12’s leading receivers, Jacob Cowing, who is averaging 94 yards per game. He had only 29 yards on eight targets. Dorian Singer, who averages 60 yards per game, was held to nine yards on five targets. Tetairoa McMillan had the most yardage with 78 yards on seven targets, with most of it coming against Utah’s backups as time ran down.

Clayton Isbell led the Utes with seven total tackles, three solo and 0.5 TFL. JaTravis Broughton followed suit with six tackles, five solo and 1 sack for a loss of 10 yards.

With the trio of vaunted wide receivers, Utah was going to need a big game from Zemaiah Vaughn, and that’s exactly what they got. He had three tackles and led the way with three pass breakups. In recent weeks, teams are trying to attack the speedy 6-foot-3 corner and instantly regretting that decision.

What will be Utah’s offense?

Cam Rising was back under center for the Utes offense Saturday night completing 13/25 passing for 151 yards. Whittingham said in the post game presser that Rising still isn’t 100 percent and the weather was a factor, but he’s positive Rising can be there by next week. Overall the Utes would rely heavily on their run game and it paid off.

The Utes rushed for 306 yards with nine different guys carrying the rock. Ja’Quinden Jackson led the backs with 13 carries for 98 yards and one touchdown. Utah unfortunately would lose Jackson late in the game due to an undisclosed upper body injury according to Coach Whittingham after the game.

True freshman quarterback Nate Johnson saw his first action as a Ute and hit the ground running, literally. Johnson would be utilized in RPO packages and rushed for 23 yards on three carries with two touchdowns. Whitingham expressed that with the current situation offensively they were looking to add some spark.

Five out of Utah’s six touchdowns were on the ground. Coach Whittingham said in the post game presser that the offensive line was key in having a stellar run game and credited them for controlling the line of scrimmage.

Tavion Thomas, Micah Bernard, Charlie Vincent and Jaylon Glover would add an additional 185 yards.

Is this a trap game?

Whittingham made it clear from the beginning of the week that Arizona shouldn’t be overlooked due to their high powered offense and coming off a close loss to USC. How Utah would handle the Wildcats’ offensively was key in their preparation. Utah controlled the pace from start to finish, eliminating any potential of this being a trap game.

Now, the No. 13 Utes’ move on to their final home game of the 2022 season and Senior Night, against a struggling 1-6 Stanford team. The game will kick off at 8 PM MST. Let’s take a look at our burning questions for this week's match-up.

What will the defensive ends look like without Fillinger?

It was announced early this week that defensive end Van Fillinger, who led the team with 5.0 sacks for 33 yards, is out for the remainder of the season with an undisclosed lower leg season-ending injury. Fillinger has a PFF run grade of 64.9 on 96 run defensive snaps this season. Although his run grade could have improved, he’d improved tremendously in that department over the last few games. He’s a huge loss to the front seven.

Moving forward Whittingham said instead of replacing Fillinger they’ll continue with the four who have been a key part of the front seven’s success in stopping the run and applying pressure on pass plays. Those players will be Jonah Ellis, Connor O’Toole, Miki Suguturaga and Gabe Reid. As a collective group their rush defense rates at 72.3. They’ll be relying heavily on the leadership of Reid.

Opportunity for the backups?

Last season the Utes handled the Cardinal 52-7, this season isn’t looking any better for the trees. Stanford will come into Rice-Eccles Stadium after falling hard to Washington State 52-14. The struggling squad has been pretty hit or miss this season and dealing with injuries that have depleted their starters. Stanford is allowing 427.9 of total offense and 31.3 points per game.

This match-up provides opportunities for younger guys to continue to elevate their skills set as they’ve stepped in for injured players. Thomas Yassmin has been developing as a player on the field playing tight end and special teams. Ja’Quinden Jackson and Jaylon Glover have stepped up for a depleted running back room — questions linger whether or not Jackson will return against Stanford.

Safety Sione Vaki and cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn have taken full advantage of their opportunities and reps. Vaki has appeared in nine different games with a total of 18 tackles with a career-best against Washington State. Utah has utilized Vaughn’s length and speed. He’s totaled 10 tackles, a fumble recovery and eight pass breakups — with a career-high of three against Arizona.

Can Thomas step up in a crucial time?

The disciplinary action over Tavion Thomas at the University of Utah has been a dark cloud looming over the program throughout the season. It’s been an ever changing running back room due to injuries and inexperience. Now is the time for Thomas to step in and be that teammate and team leader that he always expresses he needs and wants to be during interviews. Actions speak louder than words.

It’s important to note that Thomas was expected to only play special teams against Arizona — something he did and did so with a renewed passion. Injuries were responsible for him getting his time on offense.

Whittingham expressed in the post-game presser that he’s optimistic about Tavion’s future, noting he’s in a much better place than he was earlier in the year. Moving forward he’s hoping to integrate and have him contribute more for the remainder of the season.

Questions still loom with Jackson and Glover’s injuries. Additionally, Micah Bernard is still not 100 percent. This weekend is a perfect opportunity for Thomas to put his words into action, while also building confidence in his on-field performance.