For the first time this season, ASU will host a familiar rival in Utah who they have had an extensive history with before leaving the Pac-12 Conference for the Big 12.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Off of a bye week, Arizona State (4-1, 1-1 B12) was able to come back from behind and beat Kansas 35-31 last time out, the first Big 12 win in Sun Devil program history. Becoming a hero in Tempe this past Saturday, Jordyn Tyson caught a touchdown pass from Sam Leavitt with only 16 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to steal a victory.
Kansas put up a huge challenge by going toe-to-toe with ASU until the final moments of the game when it mattered the most. The Jayhawks have lost their past five games and they were leading in the fourth quarter at one point in all of them.
To ultimately squeak the win in the end, the Sun Devils will encounter arguably the toughest test they have had all season when they go up against the Utes (4-1, 1-1 B12).
Utah star quarterback Cam Rising has been dealing with a hand injury since the second game of the season against Baylor after a collision on the sidelines. He has not played in the past three games but has warmed up and according to Action Network college football insider Brett McMurphy, the 25-year-old is set to return vs. the Sun Devils.
“Utah QB Cam Rising will start Friday at Arizona State, sources told Action Network,” McMurphy said on X/Twitter. “Rising hasn’t played since Sept. 7 vs. Baylor, when he injured the ring finger on his throwing hand, requiring stitches. Rising has missed Utah’s last 3 games.”
Utah QB Cam Rising will start Friday at Arizona State, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. Rising hasn’t played since Sept. 7 vs. Baylor, when he injured the ring finger on his throwing hand, requiring stitches. Rising has missed Utah’s last 3 games
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 10, 2024
Rising has completed 18-of-29 passes for 346 yards and seven touchdowns in just two games this year before being sidelined.
The Utes finished 8-5 last season overall and 5-4 in the Pac-12, losing to Northwestern 14-7 in the 2023 SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl.
Arizona State leads the all-time series, 22-12. Utah, however, has won four straight meetings against each other and is 6-2 in its last eight games vs. the Sun Devils.
In the Big 12 media preseason poll, Utah was projected to be the best team in the conference. But with a 23-10 loss to ASU’s arch-rival Arizona, Utah sits in 11th with a 1-1 conference record. Utah is ranked No. 16 nationally in the college football rankings with freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson taking over for the injured Rising.
Here is all you need to know before the two teams square off on Friday:
How to tune into Utah at Arizona State
Game Time: Friday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m. PT
Venue: Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
TV: ESPN (Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, Paul Carcaterra)
Radio: ESPN 620 AM (Tim Healey, Jeff Van Raaphorst, Kevin Turner, Jeff Munn).
Key Notes
- If ASU wins, the Sun Devils would improve to 5-1 for the first time since 2019. Arizona State was 5-1 to begin 2021, but those wins were vacated due to recruiting violations under the Herb Edwards regime.
- Utah is 5-0 in its last five games off of a bye week. ASU has only beaten Utah three times since 2015.
- ASU has not won a game against a ranked opponent since defeating No. 6 Oregon 31-28 on Nov. 23, 2019. The Sun Devils did take down Washington 45-38 in 2022, but that result was vacated due to the violations.
- Sam Leavitt’s four passing touchdowns vs. Kansas tied for the most in the FBS and Cam Skattebo’s 182 rushing yards were second this past week. Skattebo received Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors and Leavitt was the conference’s Newcomer of the Week after the win over the Jayhawks.
- Utes with connections to Arizona: wide receiver Matt Clark (Mesa native, Mountain View High School), wide receiver Kaimana Hanohano (Mesa native, Highland High School), offensive lineman Caleb Lomu (Gilbert native, Highland) linebacker Trey Reynolds (Queen Creek native, Queen Creek High School), offensive lineman Zereoue Williams (Phoenix native, Mountain Pointe High School).
Prediction (Season Record: 3-2)
Utah 38-24 Arizona State
ASU staved off a late-game loss to 1-5 Kansas last week and even though they ultimately pulled through in the end, Utah is a totally different animal despite them being vulnerable as well lately. Since Rising went down with a hand injury, the last two games for the Utes with Wilson as their quarterback have been shaky, to say the least. Now with Rising reportedly back in the fold, the Utes have gotten a major boost to its offense that has been inconsistent lately with Wilson. Utah is coming off of a bye week while Arizona State is playing on a short week as well as ASU losing its past four matchups against the Utes. The Sun Devils do have a chance with its early-season momentum building confidence but Utah – more times than not – figure out a way to win through the adversity they endure and I believe they will have enough on Friday night to do so again if Rising is indeed starting under center.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
