Utah plays its final road game this weekend in Tucson against an Arizona team that has had Utah’s number the last three years. To prepare for the game, The Daily Utah Chronicle was able to talk to Justin Spears, football beat writer for the Daily Wildcat, to gain insight on what’s going on with the Wildcats.
Arizona played a really close game with USC, how were the Wildcats able to hang in there?
Going into the USC game, it was expected that the Trojans would run the table because, for one, it was in the Coliseum and two, the Wildcats were wounded. The quarterback situation was still uncertain, but Anu Solomon silenced the critics, throwing for 352 yards and three touchdowns. He threw an interception in the first half in which USC scored so that was the difference between going up 21-3 and 14-10. USC made big plays down the stretch and Arizona couldn’t find a way to win in the fourth quarter.
How does playing a tight game and walking away with a loss affect the team?
The theme of the Wildcats this year is to play close games at home and not even show up for road conference games. People forget USC was on the radar for the College Football Playoff at the beginning of the season so the talent is there and the fact that Arizona was just a few crucial plays from beating the men of Troy at the Coliseum shows that the Wildcats have potential. It gives the team confidence moving forward, because they have their backs against the wall and they only need one win out of the remaining two games to become bowl eligible.
What/who will the Utes need to be concerned with on Arizona?
The one player Utah needs to prepare for is senior safety Will Parks. In Monday’s press conference, Will Parks talked about his career at Arizona and was extremely emotional and he was close to breaking out with tears. He’s a player that emphasizes on hard edge football and that was showcased against Oregon State when he had a hit so hard that it made World Star Hip-Hop. Despite Arizona’s defense playing awful this season, Parks is a guy that brings toughness and grit to the table.
What/who will the Wildcats need to watch out for on Utah?
Everyone. Utah is a top-10 team and will most likely be the team to represent the South in the Pac-12 Championship. A particular player lies at the quarterback position. Utah’s quarterback Travis Wilson is a player that every coach in the conference would love to have, because he’s been with the program for so long and has dealt with adversity. When Utah ends up becoming a contending squad year in and year out, Wilson will be the guy that Utes fans would love because he was the one that set the bar high for future teams. He didn’t have a touchdown against Washington and he only committed 48 percent of his passes, but a bounce back game on the road for Wilson would be the ideal situation if the Utes want to take their talents to Santa Clara.
What does a win or a loss do for Arizona?
A win and they’re in. Arizona is sitting at five wins and they’re hungry for a bowl berth. Arizona has made a bowl appearance every season under Rodriguez and the Wildcats look to keep the streak alive in order to secure Rodriguez’s job. A loss would set the stakes high for a rivalry game against Arizona State because the Sun Devils are in the same boat. Last season the Duel in the Desert came down to whoever wins receives the conference title, but now this year it may come down to whoever wins gets to travel for a bowl game.
Who do you think will win and why?
It’s senior day and Arizona will be prepared, but the Utah is a top-10 team for a reason and their special teams will make plays to set their offensive for easy scoring drives. Arizona will compete, but just like the USC game, Utah will make the game breaking plays late in the fourth. Utah beats Arizona 37-31.
@kbrenneisen