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The #17 Arizona State Sun Devils (5-1) have yet another tough road task this weekend. The Devils got a win as a ranked team last Saturday against Washington State, acquiring their first win as a ranked team since 2014.
They now head into a hostile Rice-Eccles Stadium where the #13 Utah Utes await. Arizona State defeated Utah at home last season 38-20 behind spectacular play from Manny Wilkins, N’Keal Harry, and Eno Benjamin.
Now it is up to Jayden Daniels to add another signature win to his resume. Both of ASU’s victories against ranked opponents have come on the road this season. These are the Utes to watch out for in Saturday’s game:
Senior quarterback Tyler Huntley — Having played well so far this season, Huntley has passed for 1,393 yards and 9 touchdowns. He has also avoided throwing a single interception up to this point. A dual-threat QB, Huntley can hurt opponents on the ground as well: The senior has tallied three rushing touchdowns, more than any other Pac-12 quarterback. After a disappointing game against ASU last year, Huntley will surely be looking to redeem himself on Saturday.
Senior running back Zack Moss — Moss has arguably the best set of wheels in the Pac-12, as he leads all running backs with 102.8 yards per game (7.6 yards per carry). In addition, he also places top-five in the conference in both rushing yards (514) and touchdowns (six). The senior has rushed for 100 yards or more on three separate occasions so far this season.
Moss is coming off a dominant performance against the Beavers where he rushed five times for a whopping 121 yards and two scores. One of those scores came on a 91-yard burst. Moss played well in Utah’s loss to the Sun Devils in 2018. He’ll look to have another big game on Saturday.
Senior linebacker Francis Bernard — Bernard helps to lead one of the conferences best defenses, as Utah is currently allowing opponents to score just 13.2 PPG. He leads the team in tackles with 43, and is also tied for the team lead in interceptions with 2. In Utah’s first game of the season against BYU, Bernard picked off Zach Wilson and took the ball 58 yards the other way for a touchdown. The senior is just one of many talented Utah defensive players Daniels and the offense will have to account for on Saturday.