#15 Arizona Wildcats head to Salt Lake City for #17 Utes

Kickoff in Salt Lake City on Saturday at 1:30pm is projected to be a brisk 46 degrees with an 80% of rainfall. The #14 Arizona Wildcats take on the #17 Utah Utes, in a game that has major implications for both in the Pac-12 South. The loser, ultimately falls to 5th in the Pac-12 South, a division holding four teams in the top 20 of the College Football Playoff poll.

Defense is going to be the key to the game for both teams, as Utan leads the nation in sacks with 47, averaging almost 5 sacks a game on 16.4% of passing plays. Arizona falls in the top 25 when it comes to sacks with 28, with 13 of those coming from sophomore sensation Scooby Wright III.

A scary stat from the Arizona defense is the passing yards per game, giving up close to 300 a game, ranked in the bottom five in the nation. If it makes you feel any better, #4 Mississippi is just two spots behind Arizona, meanwhile Oregon is second to last in the nation. But somehow, despite giving up all those yards, Arizona only gives up 26 points a game. We say only because given the amount of yards Arizona gives up, 26 points allowed is pretty impressive.

Although the defense at times will break, it’s the offense that is currently broken. Not much rhythm has truly been found since playing UCLA. Although Arizona has yet to play a top 50 defense this season, so it’s hard to gauge how explosive this offense truly is.

This weekend will be a great test to see how the offense truly operates. Anu Solomon’s ankle is an issue right now, as he was seen in a walking boot on Monday with the belief that he is hurting more than he has shown. Despite the injury, he hasn’t missed practice and continues to manage the offense. That ankle will be tested this weekend when he has Nate Orchard, the nation’s leader in sacks, is attacking every play.