SALT LAKE CITY — Utah defensive end Bradlee Anae is making his mark — for the Utes and on the opposition. The junior was all over the field during Saturday’s 40-21 victory at Stanford. Anae made five tackles (three behind the line of scrimmage, including two sacks) in addition to forcing a fumble and breaking up a pass.
"He played his best game of the season without a doubt. He was our in-house player of the game,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “He made very few mistakes and had a big impact on the game. He is a talented player and we expect a lot of production out of him week in and week out."
Anae is tied for third in the Pac-12 with four sacks. His 5.5 tackles-for-loss puts him in a tie for seventh.
“Sacks are always fun to get and they are like the result of everything that you do as a defensive end, especially,” Anae said. “It’s good when it comes, so hopefully it still keeps coming.”
Utah hosts Arizona Friday (8 p.m., ESPN).
PAC-12 HONOREES: Two Utes — sophomore cornerback Jaylon Johnson and senior kicker Matt Gay — received Pac-12 Player of the Week recognition for their performances in the Utes' win over 14th-ranked Stanford.
Johnson returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown and made seven tackles. Gay connected on four field goals and four PATs in the upset.
BIG BLADDER: In his weekly response to questions on the Twitter account, Whittingham was asked if he ever had to urinate during a game. Whittingham said it was “never a problem” and that he has “an unusually large bladder.”
Later, at his Monday press conference, Whittingham expounded on it. He told reporters he once made the 9 1/2-hour drive in a car from Salt Lake to California without stopping one time to do anything.
“So I was pretty pleased,” Whittingham said.
ANDERSEN’S IMPACT: The return of Gary Andersen to the coaching staff has worked out well for the Utes. Andersen is back after head coaching stints at Utah State, Wisconsin and Oregon State.
"He has been a great addition to our staff. He is one of the best defensive line coaches in the country in my opinion. He was a successful coordinator while he was here and he has always had his hand in the defense since he left here,” Whittingham said. “He has been a huge help to both (defensive coordinator) Morgan (Scalley) and myself as a sounding board and as a guy that has a lot of experience. It has been exactly what I had envisioned it to be."
ON THE LINE: This week’s depth chart features freshman Nick Ford and sophomore Orlando Umana as co-starters at left guard. The duo has taken turns at center in place of injured senior Lo Falemaka. Ford stepped in when Falemaka suffered an unspecified leg injury during the Washington State game and Umana made the switch and started in Falemaka’s place against Stanford.
"It worked out really well. They both played well. We rushed the ball for over 220 yards and only gave up one sack. Both those players played exceptionally well,” Whittingham said. “We hope to have Lo Falemaka back this week, but only time will tell. But those are two young and talented offensive linemen in our program."
EXTRA POINTS: Whittingham has now been a part of 199 wins as part of the Utah coaching staff ... Quarterback Tyler Huntley is one of 30 candidates for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ... Running back Zack Moss has become the 14th player in team history to reach the 2,000-yard milestone in his career ... The Utes have 53 consecutive sellouts at Rice-Eccles Stadium.