It’s another year and another big battle for the University of Utah and Arizona State. The battle for the Pac-12 South kicks off at 4PM MST at Rice-Eccles stadium, in what is expected to eventually be rainy conditions. Both teams come into the game ranked in the AP Top 25, with Utah at no. 13 and the Sun Devils at no. 17, yet the game won’t get the recognition it deserves, as it’ll be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.

Ute Nation caught up with Hod Rabino of the Rivals.com ASU Devils site, and he was kind enough to go in-depth on Herm Edwards’ surprising 2019 squad.

In year two of Herm Edwards, give me your assessment of the direction he’s taken the program?

I think ASU fan should be very pleased with what Herm Edwards has done so far in his first year and a half in Tempe. I tell folks all the time that even though his first year record was identical to Todd Graham's final year record it is a different program altogether in terms of the culture, and of how well they recruiting these days especially the state of California which is a crucial recruiting ground and just the notoriety of the publicity that this program has received because you have such a dynamic personality. Trust me, HBO wasn’t asking ASU to be featured on its 24/7 program unless you had Herm Edwards as your coach.

Granted, Edwards’ 7-6 mark last season was nothing to write home about but this year's 5-1 start and top-20 ranking has probably caught some people by surprise. It does show the growth of this program in a very short time, you cannot discount what Edwards, and his staff have been able to achieve in Tempe in a short period of time. So even if you're the biggest Todd Graham supporter out there there's no denying that this program is better under Herm Edwards and is definitely trending in the right direction.

You and me talked about this earlier this week, do you feel this has turned into a rivalry? Am I crazy for thinking it’s not?

It's absolutely a rivalry and trust me when I tell you that a lot of folks in the Athletic Administration at Arizona State feel that the team that is despised the most behind University of Arizona of course, is Utah. This is definitely a bitter rivalry between both schools and our Jordan Kaye did a great piece on it and with your help gave us the perspective of the Utes’ fans which all makes a lot of sense. As a newcomer to the conference, Utah needed a rival to hate, if that makes sense, and shoving Colorado down their throat wasn't going too well. So, ASU fills the void perhaps that the Utah fans needed in terms of the team that they love to hate.

How important has Jayden Daniels and Eno Benjamin, two of Utah recruiting leans, been to the ASU program?

ASU took a gamble pursuing Daniels as late as they did in the recruiting process and already having two quarterback commits, let alone giving him the keys to the offense as a true freshman. Nonetheless, he has rewarded his coaches in spades with their confidence. You cannot take for granted how special he's been as a true freshman quarterback playing behind an offensive line that was having all kinds of issues in the first couple weeks of the season, and even last week was having all kinds of pass protection issues. His poise, his maturity and his decision-making have been off the charts for such a young player and he’s very hard to rattle him. In a talent-rich Pac-12 that isn’t lacking for special quarterbacks, the fact that he ranks second in passing yards is borderline jaw-dropping.

Daniels has played much better as the running game improved and that brings us to Eno Benjamin, The running back maybe gave a false impression that he was having a very quiet first half of the season compared to his school record-breaking performance of 2018. However, when you take a closer look at the numbers they compare very, very well and rushing for over a 100 yards in both challenging games against Cal in Washington State show that Eno Benjamin never went anywhere and that the ASU offense is absolutely dangerous when he is playing at the level we all expect him to. He has been the biggest beneficiary of an offensive line has settled quite a bit in their run blocking, compared to the beginning of the season. The last two weeks we're seeing the Eno Benjamin that were used to witnessing on any given Saturday

Who are the names for Ute fans to watch on Saturday and outside of the usual cast of characters, who is maybe someone under the radar?

On offense, aside from the two players you mentioned, you obviously have to talk about Brandon Aiyuk. The wide receiver last week broke his career-best in receiving yards with 196 as well as scoring three touchdowns in a game. I always thought that he could come very close to replacing the production of N’Keal Harry and even that prediction which a lot of folks in the preseason thought was outlandish is absolutely coming to fruition. He is a very capable go-to guy for Jayden Daniels and the ASU offense.

I don't know how much success ASU is going to have slowing Zack Moss and the running game for the youths but if they are going to achieve any kind of success then nose tackle DJ Davidson who's been having a pretty good year is going to be a big part of that. Playing right behind him at middle linebacker is Merlin Robertson who played one of his best games of the year last season against Utah and is another player you definitely want to keep your eye on. Harassing quarterback Tyler Huntley is one of the top aspects on the defense’s to-do list and linebacker Tyler Johnson, under the radar is probably going to be the main culprit of those efforts.

In the defensive backfield Tillman safety Evan Fields is enjoying a very strong season, and has shown his progress in both defending against the run and playing well in coverage. His fellow safety Aashari Croswell has also been outstanding in the defensive backfield for Arizona State and is one of the bigger ball hawks on the team, as is cornerback Jack Jones.

What would you scheme up to stop the Arizona State offense?

You absolutely cannot let Eno Benjamin go off. He’s the straw that stirs the drink for the ASU offense. If he's able to be productive early and often, it can be a long day for any defense facing Arizona State. A strong day by him will do wonders for Jayden Daniels and the success of the passing game. I also feel that ASU’s offensive line has not been consistent in their pass protection and bringing a lot of pressure may not necessarily rattle Jayden Daniels but definitely affect his production quite a bit. I know that some defensive backfields would like to mix-up coverages, maybe bring in an extra defensive back to confuse a young quarterback like Daniels but I don't feel that that approach would be as effective than just trying to get in his face with extra bodies, as much as you can. Yes he does have a pretty quick release and is pretty resourceful but crowding the line of scrimmage has the double benefit of also slowing down the running game for the Sun Devils and that is crucial for any defense trying Daniels and company.

How would you attack the Sun Devil defense?

Even though by and large this defense has been very good against the run I would still take my chances if I'm Utah, a team that with a very capable ground attack and just stick to your natural tendency repeatedly pound the ball. With five defensive backs Arizona State can mix up coverages so I don't know how much you want to test that group, even though ASU is having issues with pass rush and Huntley is likely not to be under duress. We all know that when it comes to throwing the ball, Huntley has had his issues versus the Sun Devils. No need to try too hard to prove a point here. Overall, even though Utah has a very balanced offense it still predicated on their running game so I would absolutely tilt the playing calling in favor of the ground attack.

What’s your prediction for the game and why?

The fact that the anticipated rainy conditions are lending itself to a grimy game so to speak where both teams are really going to muck it up and resort to the running game. That’s a scenario where Utah does have the clear advantage. I think both running games are similar in their production but when it comes to defending the run not that Arizona State does a horrible job, but Utah is absolutely in a league of their own. This is a group that basically just has to play their normal game to slow down Benjamin, and that where the struggles of ASU can really snowball.

This is why I see Utah winning this game 21-13.