SALT LAKE CITY — Utah defensive end Bradlee Anae did what was expected in Saturday’s 21-3 win over Arizona State.
“I told him before the game you’re going get three sacks tonight and I’ll be darn, he got them,” said coach Kyle Whittingham. “He is, in my estimation, the best edge pass-rusher in the Pac-12 and he showed it tonight.”
Anae sacked ASU’s Jayden Daniels three times and was part of a defensive line that applied consistent pressure on the freshman quarterback. He completed just 4 of 18 passes for 25 yards and was intercepted once.
Monday, Anae won two Pac-12 Player of the Week awards after upping his career sacks total to 24. The senior, who was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week and Defensive Lineman of the Week, also had a pass breakup as Utah upped its record to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Pac-12 play.
“For his senior year he is playing his best football as a defensive end. There really is no weakness. He plays the run, he plays the pass,” Whittingham said. “On Saturday he was making outstanding moves on that offensive tackle. We turned him loose two or three times on the inside moves. That goes back to (Morgan) Scalley’s group structuring things for him to have some more freedom.”