TEMPE, Ariz. — Utah led the nation in interceptions and takeaways after Thursday’s 49-26 victory at Arizona State. Marcus Williams and Chase Hansen picked off passes to raise the Utes’ total number of interceptions on the season to 17. In turn, it upped their already No. 1 in the country total number of turnovers gained to 25.
That’s where things stood entering Saturday’s games.
Utah’s defense put up some impressive numbers in Tempe. They racked up 22 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.
“We practice this stuff each day in practice — turnovers and sacks,” Williams said. “We do every little thing in practice so it transitions into the game.”
The key to the 12th-ranked Utes’ latest victory, he explained, was the play of the defensive backs.
“They worked hard on the perimeter today and that allowed for a lot of tackles for loss and sacks,” Williams said. “The defensive line did their job by getting to the quarterback and making sure they got the tackles for losses.”
STRONG SHOWING: Sophomore Raelon Singleton had quite a outing Thursday. He became the first Utah receiver since Brent Casteel against UNLV in 2006 to catch three touchdown passes in a game.
“He is a big target, he is athletic and he makes the contested catch,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “He was playing with a hurt finger that was tapped to another finger, but you never would have known due to how he played. He did a great job.”
Singleton recorded the first 100-yard game of his career. He finished with four receptions for 116 yards.
IN SUMMARY: Arizona State coach Todd Graham put things in perspective after Thursday’s game.
“We got sacked 11 times, which is ridiculous,” he said. “Our whole deal was to have no negatives and to take care of the football — but we ended up with 11 sacks and 22 TFLs. It is hard to be successful when you’re doing that.”
BOUNCING BACK: After setting a school record with five sacks, defensive end Hunter Dimick reflected on his comeback from an injury-plagued season in 2015.
“It has been a lot of hard work,” said Dimick, who added that it impacted his faith and everything he had been working for. “But it is such a relief. I am very grateful.”
Dimick now has 27 career sacks, tying him with former Ute John Frank (1996-99) for the most in team history.
A UTAH MAN: Dimick also had something to say about playing for the Utes.
“I am a small town guy. My junior year, when my high school coach told me I was being recruited by Pac-12 teams, I did not even know what that was,” he said. “I always wanted to play at Utah, and just being able to play here is a blessing.”
Dimick is a Syracuse High School graduate.
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