ASU Football: Keys to Victory over Utah
By Mike Slifer
Tonight, the ASU Football team plays Utah in a PAC-12 South showdown. Both teams are ranked and hungry for a title. Kickoff is at 8 pm. Coverage is on Fox Sports 1.
Some keys for an ASU victory:
1) Play Fast
Offensive tempo for ASU could be a weapon in this game. The Utah defense is stout up front. They pressure the quarterback well and lead the nation in sacks. Their starters are talented, but they are not deep. If I’m offensive coordinator, Mike Norvell, I want to see that defensive front bent over sucking wind. Especially defensive end, Nate Orchard. ASU QB Taylor Kelly needs to push an insane tempo, snapping the ball as quickly as possible. “High Octane” should be the order of the day.
2) Make Utah QB Wilson Throw the Ball
Easier said than done. But if I’m ASU head coach, Todd Graham, I’m stacking the box to stop Utah running back Devontae Booker. Booker is a punishing running back, akin to Ka’Deem Carey from UA last year. He’s their biggest weapon. He is essentially their identity on offense. This Utah team averages 200 yards rushing per game, but only 112 yards passing. (That’s backwards for the pass-happy PAC-12) Utah QB Travis Wilson has been efficient as a passer, but he has yet to really light it up. He hasn’t been forced to throw the ball 50 times. ASU should load up to stop Booker and gamble that their secondary can cover up the Utah receivers who are without the injured Dres Anderson.
3) Cover Kaelin Clay
Utah’s Kaelin Clay is one of those dynamic return men, much like UCLA’s Ishmael Adams and Washington’s John Ross. He’s got wheels and a knack for finding a crease. He’s got 4 punt returns for touchdowns and one kickoff return for a touchdown. When he doesn’t take it to the house, he usually at least gets a good return. Field position will be critical for beating Utah’s grind-it-out style of offense.
4) Don’t Get Too High
In the last several years, ASU has a history of getting “too hyped” in games like these. Games with playoff implications and national coverage seem to give this program performance anxiety. Fans need to look no further than five weeks ago when ASU took a beating from UCLA in a similar situation. The Sun Devils were so worked up that they were gassed after the pre-game warm-ups. Their anxiety caused them to overthink situations and blow assignments and tackle poorly. Hopefully, after winning three in a row, (including a marquee victory over Stanford) they will get over all the hype and just play hard-nosed football.
Most analysts will tell you that ASU is more talented than Utah. They probably are. But talent doesn’t always equate to victory. USC and UCLA had more talent than Utah. They lost. This Utah team is talented enough, and they are well-coached and very disciplined. Not the kind of discipline that prevents penalties or getting into fights, but the kind of discipline where every man on the field does his job. They execute. They don’t make critical errors. They won’t get out-worked and they won’t get “out-prepared”. If ASU can match that discipline, they should win this game.
Devils in Detail believes they will. Hence, our prediction: ASU 30 Utah 17