During their decade-plus together in the Pac-12, Arizona and Utah had plenty of great battles, but the results tended to be streaky. The Wildcats won four straight meetings from 2012-15, then Utah took six in a row before the UA claimed the last two, including their Big 12 debut in 2024 when it beat a Top 10 Utes squad on the road.
But the opponent coming to Tucson this weekend is better than any of those previous versions. Utah is 9-0 and ranked No. 2 nationally, one of two unbeaten teams in FBS.
To better understand the Utes, we reached out to Josh Furlong of KSL.com for some insight and a score prediction. Below are his spirited answers to our lifeless questions:
AZ Desert Swarm: What have been the main keys to Utah getting off to its best start since 2008?
Josh Furlong: “The easy answer is quarterback Devon Dampier, who has been healthy and efficient as the team’s biggest playmaker, but it ultimately comes down to the culture Morgan Scalley has built at Utah in such a short time. He’s allowing the players to be loose while focused, understanding that it takes each person to contribute to wins. He’s an extremely competitive coach, but he’s able to pair that with a system that allows players to make mistakes, grow and develop.”
Arizona fans still have nightmares about Devon Dampier from two years ago at New Mexico, and he seems to have only gotten better. Where has his game most improved this season, and is there anything he still struggles with?
“Dampier has worked on going through his progressions and staying in the pocket more, which has allowed Utah to do more with him at QB. It’s giving him more structure while understanding that he still needs room to freelance and be the dynamic QB he can be. All of that has allowed him to have more confidence, especially now that he’s been paired with a better group of wide receivers. At times, though, he gets happy feet and doesn’t have the right mechanics in his throws, which can sometimes limit his passing.”
Wayshawn Parker apparently got banged up against BYU but should be good to go for this game. What does he bring to the offense when healthy?
“Wayshawn Parker simply opens up the options for Utah’s offense. His threat as a runner, especially as he breaks through tackles, makes him one of the top offensive names you have to take away. But by doing so, opposing defenses have to handle many other players that can be just as effective in advancing the offense — Dampier, Daniel Bray, Byrd Ficklin, Braden Pegan, Creed Whittemore, etc. On top of that, he’s really developed a great pass blocking game, which has been a huge advantage in keeping Dampier upright and doing what he does.”
Arizona’s secondary has been dealing with injuries and got exploited a bit last week with deep passes. Who would be the beneficiaries of this in the Ute receiving corps?
“The primary receiving target would be Braden Pegan (WR1), who is a multi-faceted receiver who can do pretty much anything needed, and is paired with Ricky Johnson and Creed Whittemore. Johnson is a smooth runner with great separation and great hands. Whittemore works primarily in the slot and has been great in the intermediate game, especially with opposing defenses focusing on Pegan and the potential run threats of Dampier, Ficklin, Parker. Another option is tight end Noah Bennee, who is the benefactor of all the other skills players being the top of mind. As the defense focuses on other players, Bennee sneaks out and can be a problem with his size.”
How do you expect Utah to defend Arizona’s passing attack?
“Utah will primarily operate in man coverage and force Noah Fifita to beat them one-on-one, while the defensive coordinator Colton Swan schemes up disguises and blitzes to keep Fifita uncomfortable. Because Fifita is so explosive, it’s likely Utah will try more contain while pressuring him.”
Morgan Scalley had been the coach in waiting at Utah for a while, and we’re seeing why with this 9-0 start. What are the biggest differences between him and Kyle Whittingham?
“The biggest difference is that Scalley is a people’s person. Kyle Whittingham cared more about coaching football and not the other elements, whereas Scalley sees it all interconnected. He shares the same hard-nosed, physical approach of Whittingham but wants a connected team that has no factions. It’s not, offense gets to know offense and defense gets to know defense, it’s a team-wide look as each works to understand the other. He’s also open to feedback, assuming that the feedback actually is presented in a way that helps change and it’s just complaining, though he’d listen to anyone who is frustrated. He wants all to feel connected and bought into the program, regardless of their standing with the team.”
Prediction time. Does Utah move one step closer to an unbeaten regular season or does Arizona pull off a November upset at home and stay in the hunt for the Big 12 title game and the playoffs? Give us a score pick.
“This game in Tucson is always a tricky one. Even when Utah has been the clear favorite, it’s far from a decisive win for the Utes. I think Scalley has his squad more focused on this game than it might have been in year’s past, which leads me to believe Utah will be ready for any blow and not be caught off guard in a road environment. I think Utah is the more complete team, but they’ve got to stop Fifita. To me, Utah wins this game if they can contain Fifita (as much as possible) and cannot give up momentum to an opposing crowd. I see Utah winning something like 31-24.”
