Arizona vs. Utah: Five Utes to know before Saturday

A look at five Utes who look to make an impact Saturday against Arizona

After an unsuccessful trip to Pasadena last week, the Arizona Wildcats are making a trip to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Utes, who are coming off a heartbreaking 28-23 loss to the California Golden Bears.

The ‘Cats have had Utah’s number ever since Rich Rodriguez has taken over as the UA’s head coach. Last year the game ended in a thrilling double-overtime win for Arizona against the 10th-ranked Utes. Saturday could produce some challenges for both teams as they deal with injuries, but expect both to play angry.

Let’s take a look at five Utes who look to make an impact during Saturday’s contest:

Troy Williams, QB (No. 3)

2016 Stats: 99-for-163, 1,259 yds, 6 TD, 4 INT; 25 car, 19 yds, 1 TD

Originally committing to Washington, Williams transferred to Santa Monica College in 2015. There he tore up the scene, finishing with 2,750 yards on 180-for-265 passing. He had an impressive touchdown-to-interception ratio as well, 31 touchdowns compared to only four interceptions.

Williams is a true dual-threat quarterback. He uses his legs to either extend plays or just take off and run. He has a strong arm but can sometimes struggle with his accuracy. He is a focal point for Utah’s offense and is responsible for about two-thirds of it’s production. Arizona will have to due a better job of containing Williams than they did against DeVante Kincade and Grambling State.

Zack Moss, RB (No. 2)

2016 Stats: 66 car, 328 yds (4.7 YPC), 2 TD; 1 rec, 4 yds, 0 TD

Moss is a talented true freshman who kind of reminds me of Nick Wilson. He is solidly built, can prove tough to bring down, has great vision for a freshman, and has speed/agility. He proved all of these traits against BYU (his first career game) and it has allowed him to see significant playing time, including two starts.

Arizona’s defense effectively stopped UCLA’s rushing game and it will need to carry over that momentum to Salt Lake City. With a powerful three-headed running game (Williams, Moss, Armand Shyne), the ‘Cats’ tackling has to be spot on. If not, Moss and company could have a field day.

Tim Patrick, WR (No. 12)

2016 Stats: 24 rec, 429 yds, 5 TD

Patrick is Williams’ go-to receiver. Checking in at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, he is a big target for the Utes. He has soft hands which allow him to make catches with ease. He is actually pretty fast for a guy his size and is an experienced route runner. He caught the game-winning touchdown pass to propel the Utes over USC with 16 seconds to go in the game.

Patrick is Utah’s leading receiver through five games this year with 429 receiving yards and a whopping 17.88 yards per catch average. He is talented and Arizona’s corner play is going to have to improve if they are going to slow him down. Expect someone like Dane Cruikshank to be paired up with Patrick in order to help even the playing field.

Sunia Tauteoli, LB (No. 19)

2016 Stats: 37 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble rec, 1 INT

Tauteoli is a really solid Snow College transfer linebacker for the Utes. The junior is Utah’s leading tackler by a good margin so far and is integral in Utah’s 20th-ranked scoring defense. He is a savage pass rusher and plays the run rather well.

He does have one interception this season that came against BYU. The BYU receiver had the ball bounce out of his hands and Tauteoli was there to intercept it and score. Tauteoli could be a massive thorn in Arizona’s side if they cannot block his pass rush.

Pita Taumoepenu, DE (No. 50)

2016 Stats: 19 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles

Taumoepenu is another savage pass rusher coming off the edge for the Utes. As a matter of fact, before this season, around 35 percent of his career tackles have been TFL. He has a high motor and pretty decent moves to shed blocks and get to the quarterback.

He does seem to struggle a little with mobile quarterbacks (taking bad angles) but he never stops chasing them down. He is a solid tackler as well — he hits ball carriers hard, but more importantly, wraps them up at the same time. At times, the angles he takes leaves something to be desired for Utah coaches/fans, but he is still a solid piece in the Utes’ defensive front.

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