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Arizona at Utah: Will Wildcats’ speed be enough to beat Utes’ size?

Nov 21, 2014, 4:32 PM | Updated: 4:32 pm

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So you’re saying there’s a chance.

Though there are teams in better shape than the Arizona Wildcats in terms of their Pac-12 South title chances, the team from the Old Pueblo is still in contention by way of its comeback win over Washington last Saturday.

Of course, Arizona (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) will drop out of contention if it drops this Saturday’s contest to Utah (7-3, 4-3). It is the Wildcats’ final road game of the season, and it is set to be one of the most difficult matchups on their entire schedule.

Defensively, Utah is a lot like the Washington team that held the ‘Cats to 375 total yards in Tucson.

“The difference is they are probably getting pressure from a lot of different guys and they put a lot of players in there,” Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez said. “They are very athletic, particularly at end. They’re able to get pressure with just a four-man rush and they are a big, physical team. They really have held their own defensively against everybody.”

The Utes are third in the Pac-12 in scoring defense and total defense, allowing just 23.8 points and 388.4 yards per game. Conversely, Arizona is fourth in the conference in scoring and total offense, averaging 35.6 points and 492.2 yards per contest.

But the teams that have done a good job of holding Arizona in check this season — most notably USC, UCLA and Washington — all feature big defensive lines, and all held the Wildcats under their season averages.

“They do a good job and the coaching staff does a great job,” Rodriguez added. “With the elements and everything else we’re going into, it may be our biggest challenge this year. It’s hard to tell if their front seven are faster than Washington’s. On film they look just as athletic and fast, but after you see them in person, you have a better idea.

“For us, it wasn’t the speed that bothered us against Washington as much as their strength and size. We’re not a big team, even though we have decent size up front. At times we get overpowered, so we have to do a great job in technique and assignments.”

The four defensive linemen Utah started last week against Stanford — Hunter Dimick, Sese Iaun, Lowell Lotulelei and Nate Orchard — come in averaging 280.25 pounds.

Arizona’s offensive line, which is comprised of Mickey Baucus, Cayman Bundage, Steven Gurrola, Jacob Alsadek and Fabbians Ebbele, averages 294.6 pounds.

They’ll have a particular challenge in Orchard, whose 16.5 sacks just so happen to be tied for the most in the nation. He tallied 3.5 sacks in Utah’s win over Stanford last weekend, which made him the Utes’ single-season leader in that category.

Per ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura, Utah’s 47 sacks are the most for any FBS team in its first 10 games of a season since 2004.

Arizona QB Anu Solomon has been dealing with an ankle injury, one that Rodriguez said has probably been hurting the redshirt freshman more than he has been letting on. Needless to say, Orchard and the rest of the Utes’ D-line could be a bit of a problem.

“They move him around a lot, but it doesn’t matter where he lines up because both ends are good,” Rodriguez said. “We can’t say that we’re going to lean our protection towards Nate or whoever, so we have to be good.

“We have experienced tackles that are both seniors. They play pretty good football and they’ve played a lot of games. I’m sure they want to rise to the challenge. Like last week and this week, they are going to be playing guys that they would play on Sundays, so they have a chance to show what they can do.”

What the Wildcats do not have in size they will have to make up for with speed. In a clash of styles, the ‘Cats’ quickness is part of the reason they’ve won the last two meetings between the schools — 34-24 in Salt Lake City in 2012 and 35-24 in Tucson last season.

Running back Ka’Deem Carey totaled 436 rushing yards in those two games, which helped give Arizona a bit of physicality in its offense. But Carey is in the NFL now, and the offense has changed a bit to feature more in the passing game. When effective, the offense is as dynamic as any in the country, let alone the conference.

But when it’s off — as was the case against the Huskies — Arizona is ripe for a loss. The Wildcats are not a dominant team, but for the most part they have found ways to win this season. They are 15th in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings, but Utah is just behind them at 17th. Yet, the Utes are favored to win this game.

It could happen. While the Wildcats are a good team, they’re not a great team. And on the road, in a tough environment, anything is possible. But that the team is still in the hunt for a Pac-12 South championship with just two games left is not something to be dismissed.

“I can remember when I was getting recruited, part of the reason I like Arizona so much was because we were on the right path to competing for championships,” Baucus, a senior, said.

“This is my last year and we’re finally here, and we can achieve that with some help. It’s exciting to be playing football at a high level.”

Things to Watch For

Cold… so cold…

The weather forecast is calling for temperatures in the high-20s to low 40s, with a very good chance of rain. It goes without saying that the Wildcats are used to playing in pretty good weather, so this could be an issue.

“I lived in it for a while and I never got used to it,” Rodriguez said. “People say that it’s football weather, and I think that football weather is when it’s nice and sunny outside. Not a lot of our guys have had experience in bad weather, but our coaching staff has. It’s going to be bad for both teams, and it’s how you prepare for it. We will do the best we can and I hope our guys’ mental and physical toughness will help them overcome it.”

Staying grounded

While Arizona is happy to throw the ball to any of its many talented receivers, the offense clicks when the running game is in peak form. Utah ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in run defense, allowing 148.3 yards per game, so Arizona’s fourth-ranked rushing offense should have a chance to make some noise.

Nick Wilson, especially, will need to have a productive game for the Wildcats. After getting off to a fast start this season, tallying three 100-plus-yard rushing efforts in UA’s first three games (including games with 174 and 171 yards), the freshman had failed to top the century mark in four straight matchups. However, he’s gained 153 and 104 yards, respectively, in the team’s last two games.

Anu starts… anew?

For much of this season, Solomon has been a revelation, providing efficient play at the quarterback position. However, whether it’s due to his ankle, offensive line play or defenses figuring him out, he has not been as sharp lately.

He was picked off twice in Saturday’s win over Washington, which was also the first game this season in which he failed to throw a touchdown pass. He is completing just 45 percent of his passes over the last three games, which is not good enough.

Also worth monitoring is Solomon’s running. Though he’s not B.J. Denker in terms of quantity, the offense needs Solomon to take the occasional carry in order to help prevent defenses from keying in on the inside run with Wilson. A week after tallying 105 yards against Colorado, Solomon was held to just three by Washington.

Defense must not wilt

In basic terms, Utah does not have a very good offense. The Utes are eighth in the Pac-12 in points scored and 12th in total offense. They are sixth in rushing and 11th in passing.

Arizona’s defense, while not great, has been serviceable for most of the season. But they allowed a whopping 504 total yards to a Washington team that averages 377.6, so it would be fair to wonder whether something is rotten in the state of Denmark (or Arizona, if you will).

Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel’s group was never deep, and injuries have certainly played a role in the inconsistency. It’s never good to make a bad offense look good, and given the Utes’ defense, Arizona cannot afford to let the home team go up and down the field at will.

Feast and famine

Also via Bonagura: Utah junior tailback Devontae Booker’s 133.4 rushing yards per game in Pac-12 play are tops in the conference. But Booker also leads the conference in carries for zero or negative yardage with 36.

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