The Utes are back on the road again and will face the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday Night. The Wildcats (4-6, 2-5 Conf) are struggling in Kevin Sumlin’s second year as head coach, and now are fighting to become bowl eligible. The Wildcats have lost five straight conference games and there is not much light at the end of the tunnel for them as they have struggled with injuries and have already fired their defensive coordinator this year. The Utes are flying high and are riding a six-game winning streak going into Tuscon. Arizona has lost three straight games against the Utes and will look to flip this narrative on Saturday night.
Let’s take a look at the position battles to get a better feel for this matchup
Quarterback
#HuntleyforHeisman is now trending on Twitter and Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley is very deserving of this recognition. His passer rating of 190.1 is one of the best in the nation and he is completing 74.2% of his passes for 2,397 yards and 13 TDs, with just one interception. He will not win the Heisman but he deserves to be in the conversation. Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate was once in the discussion for the Heisman but multiple injuries have set him back. He is one of the most athletic players in the conference, but has struggled this year, throwing eight interceptions and only completing 60.8 percent of his passes. He has already missed multiple games due to injury this year, but he can be dangerous on his feet and forces the defense to be disciplined.
Running Back
Utah running back Zack Moss leads the Pac-12 in both rushing yards per game with 106.1 as well as 13 touchdowns, and will be a handful for the Arizona defensive line. He needs 45 yards to hit the 1,000 yard mark this year and might just do that in the first quarter on Saturday night. Arizona running back J.J. Taylor has had his moments this year and in the last five games has been a threat out of the backfield. In this five-game losing streak, he has accounted for over 100 yards in four of those games. He is averaging 5.2 yards per carry but isn't a big play threat like Moss.
Wide Receiver
Tyler Huntley and these Utah receivers have been extremely efficient all year long and each week, there are new people making big plays through the air. Bryan Thompson and Samson Nacua are averaging over 21 yards per reception and in any given game, it seems as if there's one of any number of receivers that can go off. This group is so dangerous because they have so many threats and there is not a “go-to” guy. For the Wildcats, they do not have a receiver over 400 yards, but look out for Jamarye Joiner and Brian Casteel who are Tate’s top targets.
Tight End
Utah wins this category almost by default because Arizona’s tight end Bryce Wolma only has four catches on the year. For the Utes, Brant Kuithe exploded against UCLA and is the second best receiver on the team. He is averaging 18.5 yards per catch and he and Cole Fotheringham have become stellar blockers on the outside.
Offensive Line
As many as four offensive linemen for Arizona will be out due to injury on Saturday night, including starters Cody Creason and Josh McCauley. The Wildcats might even be starting a walk-on against the stout defensive line of Utah. They have given up 31 sacks on they year and will likely give up at least a few more against the Utes. On the other side, this group thrived last week against UCLA and lead the Utah offense to an average of 207 rushing yards per game. This might be a game where the coaches decide to give Bam Olaseni some more reps after his tough game against Washington a few weeks ago.
Defensive Line
The Utah defensive line vs the Arizona offensive line is probably one of the most lopsided matchups in this game. The Utes lead FBS is rushing defense, allowing just 55.4 rush yards per game and will reap the benefits of an injured, young, and inexperienced Arizona offensive line. Arizona does average 187.2 yards on the ground and it will be critical for the Utah defensive line to be disciplined against the run, especially when Tate has the ball. Arizona gives up 164.8 yards on the ground and only has 13 sacks on the year which is 113th in the nation.
Linebacker
This is the most complete group for the Wildcats. Colin Schooler leads the team with 78 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss on the year. His ability to plug holes in the run game has been impressive up to this point in the year. He is the heart of this Arizona defense and will be key in stopping Zack Moss and the Utah offense. For the Utes, Devin Lloyd and Francis Bernard have created one of the best linebacking duos in the conference and continue to produce at a high level. They lead the Utes in tackles and continue to impress in the secondary and defending the pass.
Secondary
The two cornerbacks for Arizona are the guys to watch out for in this group. Jace Whitaker and Lorenzo Burns have six interceptions and 12 pass breakups combined on the year and could be a tough matchup on the outside for Utah's receivers. However, as a unit they have struggled to defend the pass. They give up 315 yards on average and could be in trouble on Saturday night trying to defend Huntley and the Utah offense. For Utah, Julian Blackmon had yet another interception last week to bring his season total to four. This whole unit has been stout for the Utes and allow below 200 yards per game. They will need to be patient and disciplined on Saturday and not let Khalil Tate beat them in the scramble drill.
Special Teams
This one is a toss-up because neither team has yet to do anything electric on special teams this year. They are at the bottom of the conference in return yards and both kickers have missed some makeable kicks.
