ASU Football receives program rebuilding status report against Utah

TEMPE – The Arizona State Sun Devils have already surpassed their wins from the last two seasons, but still have a long way to go before they become a program like No. 16 Utah.

Head coach Kenny Dillingham has great admiration for Utes coach Kyle Whittingham, but his ASU football team lost 55-3 last year in its first attempt to defeat the “gold standard.” Oregon defeated Utah 20-7 in Dillingham's only attempt when he was Oregon's offensive coordinator a year earlier.

On Friday, however, for the first time against Utah, Dillingham will lead a team that feels like it's his own and not Herm Edwards' Sun Devils or Dan Lanning's Ducks.

That was evident in ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt's comments on the telecast after the win over Kansas and in Cam Skattebo's push against Dillingham in the postgame press conference.

Whittingham caught wind of the buy-in Dillingham earned in just his second season.

“They obviously believe in what he's coaching,” Whittingham said on his weekly show on ESPN 700. “They're just better in all areas. I don't know how to say it other than they've become more talented, but also perform better and just play better defense. They’ve just improved everything they do.”

Dillingham said Monday he has studied the Utah plan and tried to implement it at ASU.

“Until a few years ago they never won in recruiting, they were never in the spotlight. They signed the guys they thought were the best players to fit their team. And then they repeated it,” Dillingham said. “They just trusted what they thought they wanted, didn’t care what other people thought, and they signed those people and built a culture of toughness.”

Dillingham also joked that he hopes Whittingham retires today so the two can sit down for a long conversation about how Whittingham has retained his employees as well as he has.

But as much as Dillingham sees Utah as a role model, he made it clear that this week is about the Sun Devils playing their own game. He's not as concerned about the Utes' unclear quarterback situation or plan to overcome Utah's stingy defense. Rather, he wants his players to perform as intended.

On Wednesday, Dillingham said he viewed the game less as an indicator of how good this year's Sun Devils are and more as a reminder of the steps they still need to take. That will show them how far they have to go to reach Utah's level of consistency that Whittingham has achieved after nearly two decades as a head coach.

What can ASU football expect from Utah's offense and defense?

Regardless of whether Utah uses veteran quarterback Cam Rising or backup Isaac Wilson on Friday, the Utes have a solid supporting cast on offense that will make life easier for them.

Running backs are crucial to relieving pressure on a quarterback, and Utah has a good one in Micah Bernard. He is averaging a career-best 109.4 yards per game and has multiple runs of more than 60 yards.

Utah dominated time of possession, even without rising, for all but two periods. It is their identity no matter who is at the center, and Bernard is one of the main reasons for that.

Former Arizona Wildcat Dorian Singer is one of the best receivers in Utah, and there are also two experienced tight ends to rely on. It could be particularly difficult for ASU to be without linebacker Keyshaun Elliott in the first half after he was called for targeting in the win over Kansas.

Brant Kuithe is the next in a long line of tight ends at Utah and earned All-Pac-12 honors three times. Caleb Lohner is in his first year of football after four years of basketball at BYU and Baylor. Lohner has three catches for three points so far, all in the red zone.

On defense, Utah likes to pack the box and play man coverage at the back. That could lead to one-on-one success for ASU's passing game, similar to how the Sun Devils capitalized one-on-one with Jordyn Tyson late in the Kansas win.

However, Arizona State's running game will be key to loosening up a strong pass rush that includes Utah pass rusher Van Fillinger, who has four sacks, two QB hits and four hurries in five games.

Whittingham praised both Leavitt and Skattebo earlier this week for how they led ASU's rushing attack. That's why the offensive line is the group that Arizona State needs the most to play a good game to get a win. The team is coming off its best game of the season so far, allowing only two points of pressure on the Kansas defense.

Here's how to watch and listen to Arizona State-Utah

The matchup is scheduled to begin Friday night at 7:30 p.m. MST at Mountain America Stadium.

Listen to the play-by-play coverage Arizona Sports App, ESPN 620, 98.7 FM-HD 2 or online. Pregame coverage begins at 5:00 p.m. MST.

ESPN will carry out the TV broadcast.