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Arizona travels to Salt Lake City on Saturday night to take on No. 24 Utah. Utah is still very much alive in the Pac-12 South race, sitting at 4-1 overall and tied with Arizona State and UCLA for second in the division. Arizona, on the other hand, is still searching for its first conference win of the season.
Although Utah enters this matchup as a 9-point favorite, Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez has had Utah's number the last four seasons. Since 2012, the Wildcats have beaten the Utes four straight years, with the highest margin of victory coming with Arizona's 42-10 rout in Salt Lake City in 2014. Utah suffered its first loss of the season last week, dropping a 28-23 road contest vs. Cal. A win on Saturday evening for the Utes would keep them alive in the Pac-12 South race, but a loss could certainly knock them out of contention.
Let's break down this matchup and see if this is finally the year Utah breaks the four-game losing streak.
How to watch, stream, and listen
TV: 10 p.m. (ET), Fox Sports 1. Tim Brando will be on play-by-play, Spencer Tillman will be the analyst, with Bruce Feldman on the sidelines.
Online streaming: Saturday night's game can be streamed through Fox Sports Go.
Spread: Utah is currently a 9-point favorite.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Arizona Desert Swarm for Arizona fans, and Block U for Utah fans.
Three big things to know
1. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham has a big milestone ahead of him: On Saturday night, Whittingham will be coaching for his 100th victory. He currently has a 99-47 record in his 12th season as Utah's head coach. According to Utah's game notes, Whittingham's 184 wins as both a head coach and an assistant at Utah in 23 seasons are more wins than any head or assistant football coach in school history.
2. Arizona's offense is led by a strong running game: The Wildcats enter this contest averaging 247 yards on the ground per game, which ranks No. 18 in the whole country. Utah's defense, however, is particularly stout against the run, allowing just 117 rushing yards per game. Utah gave up 213 rushing yards to USC two weeks ago, the most the Utes have allowed on the ground all season.
3. Utah QB Troy Williams is putting up impressive numbers: Arizona's secondary is going to have its hands full this Saturday. Williams has passed for over 200 yards in four games this year. On the season, he has has six passing touchdowns, and one rushing TD he scored against USC.