TUCSON, Ariz.-Saturday evening, No. 7/8 Utah football (9-1, 6-1 in Pac-12 play) visits Arizona Stadium in mid-town Tucson, Ariz. to face the Arizona Wildcats (4-6, 2-5 in Pac-12) for Senior Day.
The Utes’ current ranking is their highest since being ranked No. 3 October 18, 2015.
The No. 7 ranking the Utes bear is their College Football Playoff ranking. This represents Utah’s highest College Football Playoff ranking in program history.
After dismantling UCLA 49-3 November 16, the Utes improved to 40-40 all-time against fellow Pac-12 schools. This dates back to 2011 when Utah and Colorado joined the conference, which was previously known as the Pac-10.
The Utes are also 248-254-12 (.494) on the road all-time and are 3-1 on the road this season, defeating Washington, Oregon State and BYU in 2019.
Head coach Kyle Whittingham continues to excel in his 16th year with the Utes as he currently has a record of 129-62 (.675).
Utah’s current six-game winning streak is its longest since winning eight straight games, spanning the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
The Utes score 34.7 points per game, ranking them 29th nationally in scoring offense.
Senior signal-caller Tyler Huntley continues to impress in various categories. The native of Dania, Fla. has a quarterback rating of 182.46 and passing efficiency of 190.10 (5th nationally). He completes 74.2 percent of his passes (155-209) which ranks him 2nd nationally, for 2,062 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception. Huntley has also run for four scores on the season.
Senior tailback Zack Moss (137 car, 828 yards, 11 TD’s) averages 6.2 yards per carry, which ranks him 21st nationally.
Sophomore receiver Bryan Thompson (17 rec, 452 yards, 3 TD’s) and sophomore tight end Brant Kuithe (22 rec, 406 yards, 4 TD’s) have each been solid targets for Huntley in an efficient passing game.
Freshman kicker Jadon Redding has made 8 of his 11 field goal attempts and all 43 of his PAT attempts on the season.
The Utes’ defense remains one of the better units in college football as they surrender only 11.3 points per game (4th nationally).
Utah’s defense against the run leads the nation, surrendering only 55.4 yards per game and 2.3 yards per carry, which also leads the way nationally.
Senior defensive end Bradlee Anae leads the squad with 10 sacks, which also ties him for fifth nationally with Wisconsin’s Chris Orr.
Senior defensive back Julian Blackmon leads the squad with four interceptions, while he and senior defensive tackle John Penisini lead the Utes with two forced fumbles apiece.
The Wildcats come into Saturday’s game having suffered a 34-6 defeat at the hands of Oregon November 16 at Eugene, Ore.
Arizona scores 30.2 points per game, ranking them 62nd nationally in scoring offense.
In his second season at Arizona, head coach Kevin Sumlin (9-13, .409 as the Wildcats’ coach) continues to struggle in the Sonoran Desert.
Should senior signal-caller Khalil Tate be called upon for senior day, he would give the Utes an elusive quarterback to game plan for.
Tate completes 60.8 percent of his passes (132-217) on the season for 12 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
Freshman quarterback Grant Gunnell has also assumed the reins many times this season for the Wildcats. He is completing 66.9 percent of his passes (93-139) for 1,143 yards, 9 touchdowns and an interception.
Redshirt junior tailback J.J. Taylor (124 car, 640 yards, 5 TD’s, 5.2 yards per carry) and fellow junior running mate Gary Brightwell (60 car, 363 yards, 5 TD’s, 6.1 yards per carry) have both been highly productive for Arizona.
When called upon, redshirt sophomore tailback Nathan Tilford has also excelled (31 car, 222 yards, 4 TD’s, a team-best 7.2 yards per carry) for the Wildcats.
Redshirt freshman receiver Jamarye Joiner (26 rec, 391 yards, 3 TD’s), junior wide-out Brian Casteel (38 rec, 376 yards, 3 TD’s) and redshirt sophomore Stanley Berryhill III (18 rec, 281 yards, 3 TD’s) all lead the squad in receiving scores.
Junior kicker Lucas Havrisik has made 8 of his 13 field goal attempts on the season as well as 34 of his 36 PAT attempts.
Defensively, Arizona gives up 37 points per game, ranking the Wildcats 124th nationally.
Redshirt sophomore STUD Jalen Harris leads the Wildcats in sacks (3.5). Redshirt senior cornerback Jace Whittaker and redshirt junior cornerback Lorenzo Burns have three interceptions apiece to pace Arizona in that category.
Sophomore safety Christian Young leads the Wildcats with two forced fumbles.
Before the Utes and Wildcats became conference brethren, the two schools would traditionally meet on the gridiron in non-conference games.
Former Utah head coach Ron McBride was a long-time assistant of Arizona head coach Dick Tomey which caused the Utes and Wildcats to meet often. Geographical proximity also played a role in these contests.
The Utes lead the all-time series against the Wildcats 23-19-2 while the series is 10-10-2 all-time at Tucson, Ariz.
