Best against best meet when Utah hosts UCLA on Saturday night

Battle of the bests in the Pac-12 when Utah and UCLA square off in the trenches

Key Matchup: Utah Rush Defense vs. UCLA Rush Offense

When No. 7 Utah (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12) and UCLA (4-5, 4-2 Pac-12) meet on Saturday night, it will be the Pac-12’s best scoring defense against the Pac-12’s best scoring offense. It will also pit the Pac-12’s best rush defense against the Pac-12’s best rush offense. … So something will have to give.

Utah enters the game giving up 13.5 points and 51.5 rushing yards per game in conference matchups, while the Bruins are averaging 37 points and 217.17 rushing yards per game in Pac-12 play.

Utah’s front seven is among the best in college football, if not the best based solely on stats alone.

“We pride ourselves on being physical and it starts with the run game and defending the run,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “Typically, run yardage is more damaging than throw yardage to a point. If you can just cram the ball down their throat, that can be demoralizing, so that is something that we want to have as a strong suit.”

Defensive tackle Leki Fotu (8 tackles for loss) and defensive end Bradlee Anae (9 tackles for loss, 8 sacks) provide a deadly 1-2 combination in the trenches. While Fotu eats up double teams and clogs the middle, Anae feasts on opposing tackles to live in the backfield of their opponents. It’s nearly impossible to double team both players, so picking UCLA will have to pick its poison when going up against these two.

With Fotu and Anae taking up so much on the defensive line, it allows linebackers Devin Lloyd (team-high 58 tackles) and Francis Bernard (55 tackles) to play freely away from opposing blocks and make tackles. Both athletic and strong in stature, Lloyd and Bernard have the strength to make one-on-one tackles while possessing the athleticism to run sideline-to-sideline. Those traits will be huge for trying to contain Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a talented runner in his own right who’s most comfortable outside of the pocket.

These four will be in for quite a matchup when it faces UCLA running back Joshua Kelley and Thompson-Robinson.

After breaking out last year in head coach Chip Kelly’s first year, Kelley has thrived in his second season. So far, he leads the Pac-12 in rushing for 126.17 yards and nine touchdowns in six conference games thus far.

“He is a big back,” Whittingham said. “He’s got size to him, he’s got good quickness, good vision, but I think the offensive line is starting to get some guys who weren’t very experienced on the o-line with nine games of experience. I think their o-line is functioning better and him starting to, first of all, get more carries. He’s a good back.”

A tank at 5-foot-11, 219-pounds, Kelley is surprising combination of burst, quickness and strength. With thighs built like tree trunks, he has the ability to run through tackles while showing a quick burst to get into the secondary, where he’s a load to bring down.

Kelly has built his offense around his star running back, but the Utes must not forget about Thompson-Robinson, a former wide receiver in high school who played quarterback his senior season at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.

“He’s a guy who can really extend the play,” Whittingham said of Thompson-Robinson. “He makes things happen, he’s dynamic and he’s making good decisions throwing the ball. They are a run first team. … All good spread offenses are run first teams. Almost always. That’s just how it is.”

While growing as a thrower, particularly in the pocket, Thompson-Robinson has shown the ability to take the ball and run with it. He’s ran for 194 yards on the season (including sacks), but he’s most dangerous just picking up 4-5 yards per carry and keeping drives alive. Unlikely to break off big runs, his season-long is just 39 yards, Thompson-Robinson has shown an understanding of the offense to just pick up yards when necessary and live to see another play.

Where he’s most dangerous is in the redzone when he and Kelley run the read option to perfection. Athletic and strong enough to break the initial tackle, Thompson-Robinson has proven to be a threat near the endzone with three rushing scores on the season.

“The quarterback like I said is so dangerous,” Whittingham said. “If you let him out of the pocket, he’s really dangerous. … You gotta try to keep him in.”

This battle is certainly to be a physical one that will decide the outcome of the game. Whichever Pac-12’s “best” shows up, their team will have the inside track to the South division title and date with No. 6 Oregon in the conference championship game.