Arizona Wildcats rain on Utah’s parade: By the Numbers
Nov 23, 2014, 12:12 AM | Updated: 12:13 am
It was a cold, rainy day at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, but the weather did not slow down the Arizona Wildcats as they surged past the Utah Utes late in the game to earn their third consecutive victory.
The Wildcats survived an injury to their starting quarterback Anu Solomon to earn their ninth win of the season. Arizona rode a 21-point fourth quarter en route to a 42-10 win.
Arizona relied on a strong ground game to get the job done on Saturday, as they rushed for 298 yards and four touchdowns as a team. Nick Wilson stole the show, rushing for a career-high 218 yards and three scores, including a 75-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats were unable to get anything going in the air with either of their passers. Solomon left the game eight for 17 passing for 158 yards and no passing touchdowns. The QB’s status going forward is uncertain.
Saturday’s win sets up a very intriguing Territorial Cup game next weekend, as ASU and UA meet in Tucson with the possibility of the Pac-12 South championship up for grabs. Let rivalry week begin!
Here’s a look at Saturday’s Wildcats win by the numbers.
1
Wilson became the first freshman in Arizona history to rush for 1,000 yards. He pushed his season total to 1,085 yards with his strong performance on Saturday. Wilson became the 11th Wildcat to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
3
The Wildcats won the crucial turnover battle by three, forcing four turnovers while giving the ball away only once. Three of Arizona’s four takeaways were interceptions.
4
Number of quarterbacks used in Saturday’s game. Arizona was forced to use back-up QB Jesse Scroggins after Solomon’s injury, while Utah benched Travis Wilson late in the game in favor of freshman Conner Manning.
5
The cherry on top of Saturday’s performance was Tra’Mayne Bondurant’s 39-yard pick-six. The score was Bondurant’s fifth career defensive touchdown and his second of the season.
9
Wilson’s 218-yard performance ranks ninth in Arizona history. He truly had a game to remember for the Wildcats.
10
Arizona’s defense stepped up on the road, holding Utah to just 10 points — the fewest allowed by the Wildcats this season. It was the third time this season Arizona held its opponent under 20 points.
48:23
The Wildcats opened the scoring with a Solomon 11-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, and the Wildcats would never trail. Arizona held the lead for the final 48:23 of the game as Utah was unable to pull within one score in the second half.
