Quarterback
EDGE: ASU
ASU will face its third consecutive backup quarterback Saturday against Utah. Junior quarterback Jordan Wynn left the team after another shoulder injury this season.
But senior quarterback Jon Hays isn’t your typical inexperienced backup. He played 11 games last season and threw nearly 1,500 yards. Hays helped the Utes defeat rival No. 25 BYU 24-21 with two touchdowns passes.
But, for once, ASU gets the edge here.
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Kelly had a poor first half. Three turnovers are inexcusable from the leader on offense.
But the way he led the Sun Devils back proved he’s going to be a good quarterback.
ASU coach Todd Graham wondered how this team would response to adversity. Kelly’s second half performance is likely the epitome of what Graham wanted to see. He’s better with his legs than expected and is able to make big gains on broken plays.
His passing numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he dealt with plenty of drops. But Kelly was 6-for-6 for 101 yards in the fourth quarter, making two incredible plays on third down to junior running back Marion Grice.
It’ll be interesting to see when redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Eubank enters the game. Offensive Coordinator Mike Norvell said he gets a feeling when to insert Eubank, but for the first time last Saturday, the two-quarterback system didn’t work. Eubank rushed for six carries and -4 yards, and went 2-for-4 with 5 yards.
Running back
EDGE: ASU
Grice and freshman running back D.J. Foster played huge roles in the comeback last Saturday.
Surprisingly, senior running back Cameron Marshall was pretty quiet. He had just four carries for 15 rushing yards. Grice took all the carries in the red zone in the fourth quarter when the Sun Devils failed to convert on fourth down.
Graham said Marshall will have a bigger role Saturday. He had 1,050 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns last season. So far, he has 81 yards and three touchdowns heading into Pac-12 play.
Utah has a solid running back of its own in senior John White. He was 11thin the nation in rushing and broke the school record with 1,519 yards. He also set a school single-season record with 15 rushing touchdowns.
So far he has just one this season in two games played. He didn’t play last Saturday due to an ankle injury, but he is expected to play against ASU.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
EDGE: PUSH
ASU’s wide receivers did not answer Graham’s call last week. There were too many drops as a unit. It was one of the many reasons why the offense started was sluggish in the first half.
Sophomore wide receiver Dres Anderson leads the Utes with 111 receiving yards, averaging 15.9 yards a catch. The Utes are a run heavy team and spread the ball out to multiple receivers in the passing game. Senior wide receiver DeVonte Christopher leads the team with nine receptions and sophomore tight end Jake Murphy is a threat tied for a team-high two touchdowns.
Offensive Line
EDGE: ASU
The Sun Devils didn’t play as well against a Missouri defensive line with two, 300-pound defensive tackles than they did versus Illinois.
They’ll have another tough task ahead of them this week with a strong defensive line, but the Sun Devils’ front line is stronger than the Utes.
ASU’s front line still has done a solid job this season especially considering how small the left side is. Redshirt junior Evan Finkenberg weighs 290 pounds and redshirt sophomore Jamil Douglas is 284 pounds. The only lineman well about 300 pounds is redshirt freshman backup center Mo Latu at 319.
Defensive Line
EDGE: Utah
Redshirt junior defensive tackle Will Sutton is a beast. Junior defensive ends Davon Coleman and Junior Onyeali have had solid seasons as well.
But Utah has arguably the best defensive player in this year’s draft in senior defensive tackle Star Lotulelei.
ESPN’s Scouts Inc. lists Lotulelei as its sixth best player in the upcoming NFL draft. ASU has seen some big guys these last two weeks at Missouri and Illinois, but Lotulelei checks in at 6-foot-4, 320 pounds. Senior defensive tackle Dave Kruger has also had a good season in the trenches so far. Lotulelei and Kruger have a combined 24 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks this season.
Linebackers
EDGE: ASU
Redshirt senior “will” linebacker Brandon Magee made a spectacular diving interception last Saturday, his second this season. Redshirt sophomore “devil” linebacker Carl Bradford was on the line as a fourth down lineman throughout the game and played well. His quickness on the end will surely give opposing offensive lineman some trouble in the Pac-12.
Junior “spur” linebacker Chris Young continues to excel when inserted in blitzing packages, but he needs to work on his ability to defend the pass.
Senior linebacker Dave Fagergren leads the Utes with 22 tackles and junior linebacker Trevor Reilly is second with 18 tackles. The linebackers have been inconsistent in the pass defense.
Secondary
EDGE: ASU
It’s time to give this ASU secondary some love. The nicknamed “No-Fly Zone” has the ninth-best pass defense in the country. Surely the lack of opposing starting quarterbacks have had an impact on this stat, but it’s an impressive feat nevertheless, considering how depleted the Sun Devils are at the position.
Junior safety Alden Darby has been a ball hawk this season. He nearly had two interceptions to go with his 12 tackles against Missouri. He already has two interceptions.
Despite playing against average competition in Northern Colorado, Utah State and BYU, Utah is ranked 19th in the country in pass defense through three games.
The Utes will get reinforcements at the safety position this week. Sophomore Eric Rowe is expected to play after he missed last Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury. Junior safety Brian Blechen returns from a three-game suspension for violating teams rules.
Special Teams
EDGE: ASU
Senior wide receiver Jamal Miles had a costly fumble last Saturday but nearly made it up with a nice return to give ASU excellent field position on its last drive in the fourth quarter.
In a nutshell, that’s what Miles can do. He’s a very dangerous returner but can make some ill-advised mistakes. The threat to take any punt or kickoff to the end zone offsets the mistakes, however.
Christopher and redshirt freshman wide receiver Charles Henderson are the Utes kickoff and punt returners. Christopher has had just two returns this season, but he was named the Sun Bowl Most Valuable Special Teams Player last year. He broke off a 68-yard kick return.
Overall: ASU
The Sun Devils have played very well in their two home games. It won’t stop Saturday, especially after a disappointing loss. The coaches and players are raving about how much better practice has been this week than last week. It should reflect in the game.
Reach the reporter at mtesfats@asu.edu
