Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing gestures after his touchdown catch against USC during the first half of the Wildcats' matchup with the Trojans on Oct. 7 in Angeles.

 Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press

Here's a look at Saturday's lineups and key matchups β€” and a prediction from Star reporter Justin Spears.

No. 22 Utah (7-3) at No. 17 Arizona (7-3)

When:Β Saturday

Where:Β Arizona Stadium

Kickoff:Β 12:30 p.m.Β 

TV:Β Pac-12 Network

Radio:Β 1290-AM, 107.5-FM

Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes releases a pass against Washington during the first half of the then-No. 16 Utes' 35-28 loss to the No. 5 Huskies on Nov. 11 in Seattle.

Utah Utes

Record:Β 7-3 (4-3 Pac-12)

WHEN UTAH IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):Β 

[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]

WR | 10 | Money Parks | 5-10 | 175 | Jr.

TE | 47 | Miki Suguturaga | 6-4 | 256 | Jr.

LT | 55 | Spencer Fano | 6-5 | 300 | Fr.

LG | 51 | Keaton Bills | 6-4 | 316 | Jr.

C | 61 | Kolinu'u Faaiu | 6-3 | 326 | So.

RG | 52 | Michael Mokofisi | 6-4 | 320 | So.

RT | 78 | Sataoa Laumea | 6-4 | 311 | Jr.

TE | 82 | Landen King | 6-5 | 225 | So.

WR | 17 | Devaughn Vele | 6-5 | 210 | Jr.

QB | 16 | Bryson Barnes | 6-1 | 209 | Jr.

RB | 3 | Ja'Quinden Jackson | 6-2 | 228 | So.

WHEN UTAH IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):

[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]

DE | 7 | Van Fillinger | 6-4 | 260 | Jr.

DT | 58 | Junior Tafuna | 6-3 | 310 | Jr.

DT | 57 | Keanu Tanuvasa | 6-4 | 295 | R-Fr..

DE | 83 | Jonah Elliss | 6-2 | 246 | Jr.

LB | 3 | Levani Damuni | 6-2 | 241 | Jr.

LB | 12 | Sione Fotu | 6-0 | 226 | Fr.

OLB | 21 | Karene Reid | 6-0 | 227 | Jr.

CB | 4 | JaTravis Broughton | 5-11 | 190 | Sr.

SS | 28 | Sione Vaki | 6-0 | 208 | So.

FS | 8 | Cole Bishop | 6-2 | 207 | Jr.

CB | 5 | Zemaiah Vaughn | 6-2 | 185 | Jr.

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham looks at the scoreboard during the first half of the team's game against Florida on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, in Salt Lake City.

Utah 2023 schedule

August

31 |Β FLORIDAΒ | W, 24-11

September

9 |Β at BaylorΒ | W, 20-13

16 |Β WEBER STATEΒ | W, 31-7

23 |Β No. 22 UCLA | W, 14-7

29 |Β at No. 19 Oregon StateΒ | L, 21-7

October

14 | CALΒ | W, 34-14

21 |Β at No. 18 USCΒ | W, 34-32

28 |Β No. 8 OREGON | L, 35-6

November

4 |Β ARIZONA STATEΒ | W, 55-3

11 | at No. 5 WashingtonΒ | L, 35-28

18 | at No. 17 Arizona | 12:30 p.m.

25 |Β COLORADOΒ | TBD

Home games inΒ Bold

UTAH 2023 STATS

PASSING

[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]

Barnes | 103-176-7 |1,197 | 10 | 70

Johnson | 39-72-0 | 499 | 3 | 49

RUSHING

[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | Per carry | Per game]

Jackson | 122 | 627 | 4 | 5.1 | 69.7

Glover | 102 | 396 | 2 | 3.9 | 39.6

Stone | 31 | 239 | 2 | 7.7 | 23.9

Johnson | 58 | 232 | 4 | 4 | 33.1

RECEIVING

[Name | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Per catch | Per game]

Vele | 34 | 482 | 2 | 14.2 | 53.6

Parks | 25 | 261 | 2 | 10.4 | 26.1

Matthews | 25 | 229 | 0 | 9.2 | 22.9

Vaki | 10 | 211 | 3 | 21.1 | 21.1

McClain | 7 | 171 | 1 | 24.4 | 21.4

Yassmin | 8 | 89 | 1 | 11.1 | 17.8

DEFENSE

[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]

Damuni | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0

Reid | 54 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0

Bishop | 53 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1

Vaki | 49 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0

Ellis | 37 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1

Arizona running back DJ Williams, center, is congratulated after scoring a touchdown by wide receivers Montana Lemonious-Craig, left, and Tetairoa McMillan in the second half of UA’s win. Most of the Wildcats’ games this year have come down to the fourth quarter.

Arizona Wildcats

Record:Β 7-3 (5-2 Pac-12)

WHEN ARIZONA IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):

[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]

XWR | 4 | Tetairoa McMillan | 6-5 | 210 | So.

FWR | 2 | Jacob Cowing | 5-11 | 175 | Sr.

LT | 77 | Jordan Morgan | 6-5 | 325 | Sr.

LG | 72 | Wendell Moe | 6-2 | 340 | R-Fr.

C | 75 | Josh Baker | 6-3 | 305 | Jr.

RG | 79 | Raymond Pulido | 6-6 | 335 | Fr.

RT | 71 | Jonah Savaiinaea | 6-5 | 330 | So.

TE | 84 | Tanner McLachlan | 6-5 | 245 | R-Sr.

ZWR | 5 | Montana Lemonious-Craig | 6-2 | 200 | Jr.

QB | 11 | Noah Fifita | 5-11 | 194 | R-Fr.Β 

RB | 3 | Jonah Coleman | 5-9 | 223 | So.

WHEN ARIZONA IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):

[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]

KAT | 90 | Isaiah Ward | 6-5 | 225 | R-Fr.

DT | 92 | Tyler Manoa | 6-5 | 315 | Sr.

NT | 45 | Bill Norton | 6-6 | 325 | Sr.

DE | 11 | Taylor Upshaw | 6-5 | 270 | Grad.

WLB | 59 | Jacob Manu | 5-11 | 225 | So.

MLB | 10 | Justin Flowe | 6-2 | 225 | R-So.

STAR | 2 | Treydan Stukes | 6-2 | 195 | Jr.

CB | 7 | Ephesians Prysock | 6-4 | 190 | So.

CB | 23 | Tacario Davis | 6-4 | 195 | So.

BS | 43 | Dalton Johnson | 5-11 | 200 | R-So.

FS | 9 |Β Gunner Maldonado | 6-0 | 195 | Jr.

UA 2023 schedule

September

2 |Β N. ARIZONAΒ | W, 38-3

9 | at Mississippi State | L, 31-24 (OT)

16 |Β UTEPΒ | W, 31-10

23 | at Stanford | W, 21-20

30 |Β No. 7Β WASHINGTONΒ | L, 31-24

October

7 | at No. 9 USC | L, 43-41 (3OT)

14 | at No. 19 Washington State | W, 44-6

28 |Β No. 11Β OREGON STATEΒ | W, 27-24

November

4 |Β No. 19Β UCLAΒ | W, 27-10

11 | at Colorado | W, 34-31

18 |Β No. 22Β UTAHΒ | Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

25 | at ASU | TBD

Home games inΒ Bold

UA 2023 STATS

PASSING

[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]

Fifita | 165-224-4 | 1,735 | 16 | 69

de Laura | 87-126-5 | 1,069 | 9 | 55

RUSHING

[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | Per carry | Per game]

Coleman | 104 | 744 | 3 | 7.2 | 74.4

Williams | 78 | 347 | 4 | 4.4 | 34.7

Wiley | 46 | 202 | 1 | 4.4 | 28.9

Luke | 30 | 145 | 1 | 4.8 | 14.5

de Laura | 20 | 131 | 3 | 6.6 | 21.8

RECEIVING

[Name | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Per catch | Per game]

McMillan | 61 | 860 | 8 | 14.1 | 86

Cowing | 72 | 534 | 10 | 7.4 | 53.4

McLachlan | 31 | 389 | 2 | 12.6 | 38.9

Coleman | 23 | 282 | 1 | 12.3 | 28.2

Lemonious-Craig | 25 | 250 | 2 | 10 | 25

DEFENSE

[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]

Manu | 92 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0

Johnson | 54 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3

Maldonado | 54 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1

Prysock | 47 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0

Flowe | 41 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0

Head to Head

Arizona’s Kyle Ostendorp was a First Team All-Pac-12 punter in 2021.

Jack Bouwmeester vs. Kyle Ostendorp

Bouwmeester is the latest member of the Australia-to-Utah punter pipeline, joining Mitch Wishnowsky and Tom Hackett, both Ray Guy award winners as the nation's top punter; Bouwmeester was is a finalist for the award this year. He leads the Pac-12 in average punt distance (45.6 yards), which ranks 14th nationally.Β 

Ostendorp is one of three on scholarship remaining from Arizona's 2019 recruiting class. An aspiring Formula 1 racing mechanic earning hisΒ master’s degree in aerospace engineering, Ostendorp isn't having an All-Pac-12 campaign like in 2021; he's on track for his fewest kicks in a season since a freshman in 2019 (a sign of the offense moving the ball), but has had nine land inside the 20-yard line.Β 

Arizona defensive lineman Bill Norton, left, and cornerback Ephesians Prysock, right, put the squeeze on NAU running back TJ McDaniel in the third quarter of the Wildcats’ season-opening win on Sept. 2.

Sione Vaki vs. Bill Norton

For the second straight week, the Wildcats will face an opponent with a do-everything, two-way player. Vaki's primary position at Utah is strong safety, but the sophomore has accumulated 466 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns as a running back, receiver and kick returner. Vaki was recently named to the Paul Hornung Award watch list for college football's most versatile player.Β 

The 6-6, 325-pound Norton had an influential role in stopping the run in the second half of Arizona's win over Colorado. The Wildcats held the Buffaloes to just 29 rushing yards in the second half. The transfer from Georgia has forced two fumbles, while also affecting the passing game with three pass breakups and four quarterback hurries.

Arizona running back Michael Wiley (6) cruises into the end zone with a Wildcat touchdown against Oregon State as the sideline celebrates in the fourth quarter of their Pac 12 game at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., October 28, 2023.

The matchup

When Arizona has the ball …

The Wildcats got a precursor to this game when they beat Oregon State, a physical team with formidable offensive and defensive linemen. Arizona used the Beavers' own style against them; can they do the same to the Utes? Utah ranks second in the conference in rushing defense (85.6 yards per game). Arizona's best use of its running backs against Oregon State's rushing defense was in short passing game. Against OSU, Senior running back Michael Wiley had five catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns, with both scores in the second half. In Wiley's final game at Arizona Stadium, he joinsΒ  Jonah Coleman and DJ Williams in what could be an impactful one-two-three punch.Β 

When Utah has the ball …

After losing a trio of key starters to the season with injuries between quarterback Cameron Rising, running back Micah Bernard and tight end Brant Kuithe, the Utes have the second-worst offense in the Pac-12 behind Arizona State, averaging 355.1 yards per game. In typical Utah fashion, the Utes rank in the top half of the conference in rushing yards per game (184.9).Β 

Prediction: No. 17 Arizona 24, No. 22 Utah 20

Just over a month ago, the Wildcats were 22-point underdogs against a USC team that isn't even ranked anymore. Now they are slight favorites in their final home game of the season against the two-time defending Pac-12 champions. Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch referred to that game as a "turning point," and the Wildcats haven't lost since. Expect Utah to muck it up and make a potentially cold and rainy day in Tucson messy, but Arizona pulls it together in the fourth quarter (again), where its outscoring opponents 90-37 this season. Make it 100-37 on Saturday in another come-from-behind victory. Wildcats pick up win eight.

Arizona linebacker Jacob Manu and left tackle Jordan Morgan spoke to media on Tuesday ahead of the Wildcats' home finale against Utah. Video by Justin Spears / Arizona Daily Star

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Contact Justin Spears, the Star's Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports