He may need to take a giant leap forward if the Sun Devils are to keep their Pac-12 South Divsion hopes alive by defeating No. 4 Utah in Salt Lake City on Saturday.
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The last time Utah defeated Arizona State was in 1976.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at House of Sparky for Arizona State fans and Block U for Utah fans.
Jake Plummer is the most recent quarterback to lead the Arizona State Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl, and there’s no doubt that he still bleeds Sun Devil maroon and gold.
Utah is off to a 5-0 start, after holding off Cal last week 30-24.
ASU has fumbled 17 times this season, losing seven.
Where should Utah attack ASU’s defense, if you were calling a game against the Devils? That hasn’t been easy the last two years against the Sun Devils.
Last season, the Devils posted three sacks but moved quarterback Travis Wilson off his spots and disrupted his timing. In 2013, he completed 6 of 21 for 121 yards. Dielman – and they have surrendered the third fewest sacks in the nation. Washington is one of them, so Thursday night is crucial for Sparky. Defensively, Utah yields 258.8 yards in passing and 133.2 yards in rushing. Foster (32.5) out of the backfield.
Senior QB Mike Bercovici has gotten better as the season’s unfolded. ASU has six players with 200-plus receiving yards.
#8 Havana McElvaine (Defender, Junior) – If McElvaine can keep delivering set pieces like the corner kick she had to set up Karas for the Huskies’ second goal, then watch out.
Utah is possibly the best team in the country and has a defense that’s going to give Arizona State fits. His Utes are ranked fourth in the nation, Booker is in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy and the Utes are in position to win the Pac-12 South for the first time in the school’s history. They dropped from third to ninth.
The Sun Devils allow 26.2 points per game (eight in the Pac-12) and 5.2 yards per play (fifth). Defensively, Utah is allowing 19.8 points and 392 yards per game. “They’re going to want us to beat them through the pass game”. An issue: pass defense. ASU’s challenge will be hard. He had TD receptions of 38 and 45 yards last week.
To reach the midpoint of the season at 6-0, Utah will have to do something coach Kyle Whittingham says it hasn’t done yet against ASU. The play of Wilson is also the reason why there are questions about the Utes’ legitimacy. Devontae Booker is the best player on what may end up being the best team in all the land.
Get all kinds of college football stories, rumors, game coverage, and Jim Harbaugh oddity in your inbox every day. Utah has a lot of experience on their offensive line – including Phoenix native J.J. White also had a key 59-yard run that helped ASU put away a feisty Cal Poly squad in the second week of the season. ASU kicker Zane Gonzalez has produced touchbacks on 17 of his 19 kickoff attempts this season. That will be a key against Utah, which ranks 22nd nationally in kick-off returns. He missed most of the team’s first two games, but he has been that good. Andy Phillips is 8 of 11 on FGs. The Sun Devils (4-2, 2-1) got off to a shaky start, including a blowout loss at home to Southern California, but are starting to play their best football of the season after convincing wins over UCLA and Colorado.
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Whatever form of measurement you want to use, however, there’s no denying this simple truth: The Sun Devils have owned the Utes. Like the last two meetings, this one likely will go down to the final minute.
