To say that another tough contest lies ahead for the Utes would be an enormous understatement. Ranked No. 5 in the country, Stanford comes to town as the strongest opponent Utah has faced in years.
The Utes haven’t hosted a top-five team since TCU came to Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2010. Utah was ranked No. 6 at the time and the Horned Frogs were No. 4. TCU walloped the Utes 47-7 in that blackout game.
Utah hasn’t come close to cracking the Top 25 in 2013, but beating the Cardinal would certainly cause people to take notice. The problem for the Utes is that Stanford is markedly better than both opponents that have snuck out of Rice-Eccles with a win this year. The Cardinal does not pose any one specific threat, but its strengths are evenly distributed. Stanford plays sound football with minimal mistakes and is balanced with an equally efficient running and passing attack. And the Cardinal is confident.
“I think that they believe that their players are better than everyone else,” says Utes’ defensive back Keith McGill. “So they just take their time and line up, and it’s been working for them.”
Utah is not entirely outmatched this weekend, though. It will rely on its defense to continue to hold strong up front to keep the game close. Stanford’s methodical and even-tempo offense will work to the Utes’ benefit, as it will give Utah’s defensive line a chance to catch its breath and keep getting to the quarterback like it has been doing all season. The Utes are getting 3.6 sacks per game, ranking No. 3 in the country in that department.
“They’re big, they’re physical, and they care,” McGill says of his team’s defensive line. “If they’re tired, they don’t give up because they know that puts pressure on the secondary. So they get there, [even] if they’re tired, for us.”
Utah’s defense held strong against then-No. 12 UCLA last Thursday. Ute quarterback Travis Wilson put the ball in his opponent’s hands six times on interceptions, but Utah still had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds thanks to its defense. But the defense will not be satisfied until the Utes get a Pac-12 win this year.
“[The Cardinal are] great runners, and I have to say we’re a good defense. And what we showed last week wasn’t good enough. Obviously we still need to prove ourselves,” says defensive tackle LT Tuipulotu. “I can’t say we’re proud because we obviously let [UCLA] loose a little bit. If we do everything right and be great tacklers, we’ll be proud of ourselves.”
In both of Utah’s conference losses to date, they lost the turnover battle. If the Utes can win that statistic against Stanford, they could have a chance to win the game, as they go toe-to-toe with the Cardinal offensively. Stanford has outscored Utah in total points this season by only one, 196-195. The Utes have outgained the Cardinal with 2,406 total offensive yards compared to Stanford’s 2,036. And Utah is winning the first-down comparison 112 to 95.
“Any time you have a team with that lofty of a ranking, obviously it presents an opportunity for you and a big challenge at the same time,” says Utes’ head coach Kyle Whittingham. “Our fans are gonna be getting used to that in the Pac-12. That’s just how it is. We’re excited to line up against a quality team like Stanford on Saturday, and our guys will be ready.”