No. 13 Utes Set to Take on No. 17 Sun Devils
University of Utah junior offensive lineman Orlando Umana (50) snaps the ball during an NCAA Football game vs. Washington State at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019. (Photo by Kiffer Creveling | The Daily Utah Chronicle)
October 18, 2019
Home football is finally back at Rice Eccles Stadium as the No. 13 University of Utah football team takes on their foe to the south, No. 17 Arizona State. This game has big implications both in the conference and nationally.
Scouting Utah
The Utes are coming back home after dismantling Oregon State 52-7 in Corvallis last weekend. Tyler Huntley threw for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns in the win. Demari Simpkins was Huntley’s favorite target — he had 97 yards on the game. Samson Nacua was the second leading receiver on the game with 46 yards and 1 touchdown. Brant Kuthie also had a touchdown in the victory. Devin Brumfield and Jordan Willmore recorded their first touchdowns as Utes.
On the defensive side, Devin Lloyd got his first interception of his career and turned it into a pick six. Jaylon Johnson had 8 total tackles and 2 impressive pass breakups in the game. Francis Bernard also had an impressive day. He tallied 6 tackles, 1 of which was a TFL.
Kicker Jadon Redding was perfect on his PATs. He also hit a career long field goal of 42 yards in the victory.
Rushing Record Watch
After a dominating two quarter performance in which he rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a 91-yard rush, Zack Moss is only 55 yards away from breaking Eddie Johnson’s all time rushing record. Moss is also on track to break one more school record. He needs one more 100-yard rushing game to break the three-way tie with John White and Devontae Booker for first place.
Scouting Arizona State
The Sun Devils are coming off a last-second win against Washington State 38-34. Freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels has been impressive for the team this year throwing for over 1,610 yards. He is 111-176 on his pass attempts on the season. He has rushed for 198 yards this season. He has 8 touchdowns to 1 interception.
Just like Utah, ASU has a bruising running back in Eno Benjamin. Benjamin already has 529 yards and 7 touchdowns on the season. He is averaging around 4.2 yards per carry on the season.
Mascot Watch
As the great Mike Leach once said, “What kind of mythical powers does a Sun Devil have?” I often wonder the same thing. What does Sparky even do for fun? Also Sparky is very creepy looking at times with his weird looking mustache.
I would rather have Swoop than Sparky.
How to Watch
The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with kick off set for 4 p.m. Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth and Lewis Johnson will offer live analyses of the game. Fans can also listen to the game on the Home of the Utes ESPN 700 with Bill Riley, Scott Mitchell and Tom Hackett on the call.
