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Published Sep 28, 2024
Preview: Arizona at No. 10 Utah
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Ari Koslow  •  GOAZCATS
GOAZCATS.com reporter
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Arizona suffered a brutal loss on the road against Kansas State two weeks ago for its first loss of the season. The Wildcats will now come off their bye with a chance to get healthier and make any necessary adjustments on both sides of the ball.

Arizona now heads on the road again to Salt Lake City where it will take on the current Big 12 favorite in Utah.

Despite being without their starting quarterback in Cam Rising last week, the Utes still managed to come out of Stillwater with a 22-19 win over Oklahoma State. It remains unclear if Rising will return this week or if it'll be another week of Isaac Wilson (the younger brother of Zach Wilson) under center for Utah.

The Wildcats will have another chance for a statement win on the road Saturday night against a top-10 team in Utah.

GAME INFO

Who: Arizona (2-1) at No. 10 Utah (4-0, 1-0)

Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. (MST)

Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium | Salt Lake City, Utah

TV and channels: ESPN

Radio: 1290 AM | XM: 81, 381

All-time series: Utah leads 25-20-2

Odds: Utah (-9), O/U (47)

UTAH SNAPSHOT

Head coach: Kyle Whittingham (166-79 | 21st season at Utah)

Conference standing: T-1st (4-0, Big 12)

HEAD-TO-HEAD (NCAA rankings)

Total offense: Arizona - 41st (437.3 YPG) | Utah - 45th (430.2 YPG)

Scoring offense: Arizona - 69th (30.0 PPG) | Utah - 45th (33.0 PPG)

Total defense: Arizona - 72nd (347.7 YPG) | Utah - 20th (260.8 YPG)

Scoring defense: Arizona - 87th (26.67 PPG) | Utah - 21st (13.0 PPG)

Arizona will be looking to bounce back from its loss to Kansas State two weeks ago with another chance at a big marquee win on the road in what will officially be the Big 12 conference opener for the Wildcats.

The big question for Utah will be whether it will be Rising or Wilson under center.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said in his press conference on Monday that the decision to sit Rising last Saturday came just 20-25 minutes before kickoff, citing that Rising was not able to put enough velocity on his passes.

Despite being without Rising last week, Utah was still able to defeat Oklahoma State on the back of a strong defensive performance as well as a huge game on the ground from RB Micah Bernard. Wilson also added 41 yards on six carries as well, something to monitor if he starts given the struggles Arizona has faced against mobile quarterbacks.

The top receiver last week for Utah was former Wildcat Dorian Singer who caught seven passes for 95 yards. He was also with USC when it faced Arizona last season, but did not record a catch in the triple overtime thriller.

The big question for Arizona on the offensive end of the ball will be if a second pass catcher outside of Tetairoa McMillan can step up for Noah Fifita in the passing game. The common theme throughout training camp was the involvement of tight ends, so it is possible we see Keyan Burnett and the other tight ends take advantage of certain matchups as receivers.

"We want Keyan, Sam (Olson) and all those guys to be more involved," coach Brent Brennan said. "I think that's one of those deals where every game is a different game and depending on how you're playing or who you're playing, sometimes those opportunities present themselves more than others."

Brennan is hoping to see his team play clean football following its 31-7 loss to Kansas State two weeks ago.

"I think the biggest thing is we know we're going into a hostile environment," Brennan said. "I want to see us handle the moment and play clean football, which is hard because against this team, they're a team that frustrates you because of how they play. ... There has never been a perfect football game played, and I think that's something we have to continue to understand and grow from and play the next play."

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