UteNation Publisher Alex Markam sat down with his counterpart for Arizona State’s Devil’s Digest Publisher Hod Rabino for another Q&A session to get to know the Sun Devils a little better ahead of the Friday night matchup in Tempe.

Entering Year 2 under Dillingham, ASU has so far exceeded expectations. What is he doing that’s worked so well?

The fact that Arizona State’s transfer class has been ranked No. 5 nationally indicates that it's not just reflective of a high quantity but also reflects the quality that the Sun Devils were able to add. On paper, some significant players from last year did leave the program, but ASU has done more than enough to compensate for those losses. I also feel that the intangibles surrounding this team, especially establishing the culture that Dillingham wanted to achieve, are paying high dividends. Sure, there've been plenty of white knuckle moments in three of the Sun Devils’ four wins, but the fact that they're finding ways to win games they had no chance of coming up victorious with last year tells you a lot about the mental makeup of this team, which complements a higher caliber of talent.

Ute fans know of Sam Leavitt because Utah was recruiting him in the transfer portal last season. Ultimately he chose to have the immediate shot to start with Arizona State. What has he brought to the ASU offense?

Leavitt is a pure dual-threat quarterback who does not have to over rely on his mobility. The redshirt freshman is mature well beyond his years and someone who never shies away from the big moments. He may be somewhat lacking in accuracy on longer passes, although he definitely had some success in that department. Otherwise, when it comes to the shorter and medium routes, he's somebody who can execute all the throws, whether he's in the pocket or throwing off platform. There's no question in my mind that he elevated the position quite a bit, not only due to his god-given talent but also his demeanor.

If you were Utah Defensive Coordinator Morgan Scalley, how would you draw up the plan to stop the Arizona State offense?

The Utah defense doesn’t need to veer away from their bread and butter approach or have larger than usual wrinkles in the game plan. Running back Cam Skattebo is the obvious catalyst for the ASU offense, and it would be hard for me to imagine him having a below average performance and for ASU to still come up with a victory. And by default, if you're going to slow him down, you're going to commit more players to the line of scrimmage, which is also important because you don't want Leavitt to run wild. I don't know if Leavitt has proven that he can consistently thrive when there are fewer players in coverage. I think it was proven in the Arizona loss that when Utah cannot contain the opponents’ ground attack they can be in trouble, so that has to be the focal point of any scheme the Utes are going to employ on Friday

How do you attack the ASU defense?

With the first half absence of defensive end Clayton Smith and linebacker Keyshuan Elliott, Utah has to take advantage and give Cam Rising a clean pocket to operate with and have their punishing run game go to work. I would try to lull this defense to sleep with the running game because I do think so, especially if Rising is going to start to really inflict some damage with play-action passes. I don't know how much they're going to risk Rising running the ball, but if Micah Bernard is effective early in the game, that can open more RPO options for Rising.

Aside from Leavitt and Cam Skattebo, who are the Arizona guys to pay attention to?

Tight end Chamon Metayer has been effective in the passing game, and wide receiver Jordan Tyson, who was responsible for the two turnovers against Kansas last week, also has two receiving touchdowns in the fourth quarter and is a dangerous playmaker.

Aside from the two players I mentioned on defense, defensive tackle CJ Fite is a player to look out for, especially when observing the ASU run defense. Nickel back Shamari Simmions and safety Xavion Alford are the standout players in the secondary.

What’s your game prediction and why?

Facing Utah coming off its lone loss of the season after a bye week is not ideal, especially when you are on a short prep week. As much as ASU has to be proud over the progress it has demonstrated from last year, the fact that hey had to sweat out an extremely dramatic home victory to beat a one-win Kansas team last week probably indicates that while ASU can continue to make strides this year but is also probably not ready to effectively battle the upper echelon of the Big 12 Conference.

I'm predicting Utah to win this game 27-20.