Check out photos from Saturday's game against OSU in this slideshow.
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Were you in the stands at the ASU v OSU game? See if you can find yourself or your friends in this fan slideshow.
Quarterback
EDGE: ASU
Junior quarterback Brock Osweiler started slow in last week’s game against Oregon State. He threw two interceptions and fumbled in the ASU football team’s first three offensive possessions.
But Osweiler said he learned from those mistakes and made the necessary adjustments throughout the game. He finished 24-of 37, passing for 258 yards and two touchdowns to go with three interceptions.
Despite the first quarter struggles, Osweiler successfully led his team to its second straight Pac-12 conference game victory.
The Utes will be without junior starting quarterback Jordan Wynn, who suffered a left shoulder injury last week. That is a major blow to the Utah offense as Wynn was playing well so far in 2011.
Prior to his injury, he threw for 727 yards by completing 66 of his 116 passes with six touchdowns this season. In his place will be junior quarterback Jon Hays. The 2011 campaign marks his first season at the NCAA level.
After taking over in the second half against Washington, Hays went 10 for 16 in passing for 156 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Running Back
EDGE: ASU
Junior running back Cameron Marshall has wreaked havoc on opposing defenses all season long. He’s been especially good in his past two games despite being a bit banged up.
Marshall ran for 80 yards and two touchdowns including a 37-yard scoring run last week.
In just his first season at Utah, junior running back John White is third in the conference and 25th in the entire nation in rushing with his 103.8 yards per game. He’s collected 415 yards on the ground on 75 carries to go with five scores.
He recorded three touchdowns versus BYU, one of which was a 62-yard scramble to the end zone.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
EDGE: ASU
Each game seems to feature a new wide receiver that makes a game-changing catch or leads the team in receptions or receiving yards. Last week, it was junior wide out Jamal Miles who led the Sun Devils with eight catches.
Senior wide receiver Gerell Robinson led ASU in receiving yards with 68 on two receptions last week. Junior wide receiver A.J. Pickens recorded the first touchdown of his career last Saturday against Oregon State on a 17-yard reception.
The Utes’ offensive features a pair of talented wide outs in junior wide receiver DeVonte Christopher and freshman Dres Anderson.
Christopher leads the team in catches with 21, receiving yards with 330, and is tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions with two. He averages 82.5 receiving yards per game which ranks seventh among all Pac-12 receivers. Christopher also owns five 100-yard games in his career including two this season that came against Southern California and Washington.
Then there’s Anderson who is second on the Utah squad in with 195 receiving yards. He also averages 16.2 yards per catch.
Offensive Line
EDGE: Even
The Sun Devils could be without senior center Garth Gerhart after he suffered an extreme ankle sprain in last Saturday’s game. Sophomore Kody Koebensky took over at center for ASU after Gerhart’s departure and he will likely be called upon this Saturday.
Sophomore left tackle Evan Finkenberg injured his meniscus during the OSU game and received surgery on Wednesday.
Fortunately for ASU, it possessed a plethora of depth at offensive line heading into the season. That depth could prove beneficial this week.
The Sun Devils won’t be the only team on the gridiron with experience at o-line this Saturday. Juniors Sam Brenner at guard, Tevita Stevens at guard, and tackle Miles Mason form a reliable offensive line trio for the Utes.
Additionally, senior tackle Tony Bergstrom started in 29 consecutive games up until missing last week’s matchup. He could return to action versus ASU.
Brenner has started all four games this season and has not allowed a single sack. Stevens meanwhile is in the midst of his third year as a starter, but only his first in the guard position.
Defensive Line
EDGE: ASU
With sophomore defensive end Junior Onyeali sidelined, sophomore defensive end Davon Coleman, senior defensive tackle Bo Moos and senior defensive end Jamaar Jarrett have all had to step up.
Jarrett possesses the most experience of the group as he has earned 75 career tackles, including 18 1/2 for loss. He’s also notched 7 1/2 career sacks.
Utah senior defensive end Derrick Shelby has established himself as a defensive force this season. His 13 tackles are the most among all Utah defensive linemen. Of those 13 tackles, three have been for loss and two were sacks.
Junior defensive tackle Star Lotulelei collected a career-high six tackles against the Huskies, including 2 1/2 for loss.
The Utah defensive line has also notched eight batted down passes in four games this year.
Linebackers
EDGE: ASU
Junior linebacker Vontaze Burfict and senior linebacker Shelly Lyons both snagged their first interceptions in ASU’s win over USC. Burfict owns 183 career tackles including 20 that came for loss while Lyons has tallied 93 tackles in his career.
Similar to ASU, the Utes possess several linebackers who are key contributors to the defense.
Senior linebacker Chaz Walker averages 9 1/2 tackles per game, which ties him for most in the Pac-12. He is also third in the conference with 38 total tackles.
Sophomore linebacker Brian Blechen is close behind Walker with 27 total tackles. He has also grabbed six career interceptions.
In addition to Walker and Blechen, senior linebacker Matt Martinez has amassed 15 solo tackles, which ties him for most on the team.
Secondary
EDGE: Even
Sophomore cornerback Alden Darby posted a memorable performance one week ago. He grabbed his first career interception in the early stages of the fourth quarter against the Beavers. He struck again with another pick later in the quarter.
Utah’s five interceptions rank second in the conference, while its 124.6 pass efficiency defense places them third in the Pac-12.
Junior cornerback Ryan Lacy averages 1.25 passes defended per game, while his 15 solo tackles has him tied for the team lead.
Also at cornerback, senior Conroy Black owns nine tackles, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery this season. Junior defensive back Reggie Topps enjoyed a solid performance against Washington by forcing a fumble, collecting four tackles and a sack.
Special Teams
EDGE: Even
Miles can do it all. After returning a 98-yard kickoff to the end zone in the season opener, Miles added a 78-yard punt return to his resume last week.
His efforts earned him Bank of the West Pac-12 Player of the Week recognition, as well as being named to the Paul Hornung Weekly Honor Roll.
Redshirt freshman kicker Alex Garoutte missed a 35-yard attempt in the second quarter last week, and is now three-for-six on the season in field goal attempts.
Utah junior kicker Coleman Petersen has made four out of six field goal attempts and 13 of 14 PAT’s in his first season as the Ute’s starting kicker.
Utah has employed a pair of punters this season in sophomore Nick Marsh and junior Sean Sellwood. With that combination, the Utes rank third in the Pac-12 with a 42.1 punting yards average.
Junior kick returner Reggie Dunn is Utah’s leading return man with a 23.6 return average and 118 yards on five returns.
Overall
ASU is fresh off two consecutive conference wins to open its Pac-12 schedule. The Sun Devils beat USC for the first time in 11 years and ended a three-year losing streak against OSU last week. Despite early mistakes, ASU proved it could bounce back over the course of a game by defeating the Beavers.
The Utes, meanwhile, are winless in conference action. The loss of Wynn certainly doesn’t help as they host ASU on Saturday.
If Osweiler and the always-dangerous ASU offense can limit turnovers and take advantage of its many weapons while the defense plays like it did against OSU, then the Sun Devils will have the edge in Salt Lake City.
Reach the reporter at greg.dillard@asu.edu
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