The Game
Utah (5-2, 3-2 Pac-12) visits UCLA (2-5, 2-2 Pac-12) in Los Angeles on Friday, Oct. 26. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. MT in the Rose Bowl. ESPN will televise the game. Search #UCLAvsUTAH for conversation and follow @utahathletics for live updates.
 
Polls & Bowls
> Utah has cracked the top 25 for the first time this season, checking in at No. 23 AP and No. 24 Coaches. Utah last appeared in the rankings on Oct. 8, 2017, also at No. 23 in the AP poll. See pages 18-20 for Utah's complete ranking history.
> At 5-2, Utah needs one win to become bowl eligible for the 13th time under coach Kyle Whittingham. Whittingham has the best bowl win percentage in NCAA history (92%) and his 11 bowl wins (11-1) is tied for second among active coaches.
 
Quick Hits
> With its 41-28 win over USC last Saturday, Utah has moved into the Pac-12 South Division lead. Utah and USC are both 3-2 in conference play, but Utah has the better overall record (5-2 to USC's 4-3) and the head-to-head win.
> Utah is on a three-game win streak, beating No. 14 Stanford, Arizona and USC on consecutive weekends. The Utes are 2-0 against Pac-12 South division teams and 1-2 against the North.
> Utah leads the nation in rushing defense, ranks No. 2 red zone defense and No. 7 in total defense. The Utes lead the Pac-12 in seven statistical categories. See pages 2-3 for complete Utah rankings.
> Utah has won the last two games against UCLA (2016-17) for its second two-game win streak in the series. The Utes also won two straight in 2007 and 2011.
> Although Utah trails the overall series with UCLA 11-5, the Utes enjoy a 4-3 advantage as members of the Pac-12 Conference. The Utes won the last meeting in the Rose Bowl in 2016, where UCLA has a 6-2 overall series lead.
> In his 14th-year as Utah's head coach, Whittingham is the longest-tenured coach in the Pac-12 Conference and the third-longest tenured coach at the same school in the NCAA FBS.
> Whittingham, who in his 25th overall season coaching at Utah, has participated in 201 victories—more than any football coach in Utah history. He is 116-58 in 14 years as the head coach.


 
Statchat
> Utah is No. 1 in the nation in rushing defense (74.6).
> Utah is No. 2 in the nation (No. 1 Pac-12) in red zone defense (0.550, 11-of-20).
> Utah is No. 7 in the nation (No. 1 Pac-12) in total defense (286.4).
> Utah is No. 10 in the nation (No. 1 Pac-12) in first down defense (112).
> Utah is No. 10T in the nation (No. 1T Pac-12) in fewest passes intercepted (3).
> Utah is No. 1 in the Pac-12 (No. 17 nationally) in pass efficiency defense (108.53).
> Utah is No. 1 in the Pac-12 (No. 14 nationally) in opponent third-down conversion percentage (30.2).
> Utah is No. 2 in the Pac-12 (No. 11 nationally) in net punting (41.55).
> Utah is No. 2T in the Pac-12 (No. 15T nationally) in defensive touchdowns (2).
> Utah is No. 2 in the Pac-12 (No. 16 nationally) in scoring defense (17.7).
> Utah is No. 2 in the Pac-12 in sacks (2.86).
> Utah is No. 2 in the Pac-12 in tackles for loss (7.3).
> Utah is No. 2 in the Pac-12 in field goals made (10).
> Utah is No. 3 in the Pac-12 in interceptions (7, tie).
> Utah is No. 3 in the Pac-12 in time of possession (31.38, tie).
> Utah is No. 3 in the Pac-12 in red zone offense (90.5, 19-of-21).
See sidebar on page 3 for more Utah rankings.
 
Connections
There are 25 California natives on Utah's roster, including starters Nick Ford (San Pedro), Orlando Umana (Sacramento), Darrin Paulo (Sacramento), Siaosi Mariner (Tustin), Jaylon Johnson (Fresno) and Javelin Guidry (Murrieta) … Ute coaches originally from California include offensive coordinator Troy Taylor (Sacramento), defensive line coach Lewis Powell (East Palo Alto) and cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah (Los Angeles). Shah's brother Karim Abdul-Jabbar played for UCLA from 1992-95 and is the sixth-leading rusher in Bruin history … Utah Director of Athletics Mark Harlan was the senior associate athletics director for external relations at UCLA from 2010-14. Harlan spent the last four years at the athletics director at South Florida before coming to Utah in June.
 
In the Huddle
Linebacker Chase Hansen is one of 20 quarterfinalists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is awarded to a defensive player based equally on his athletic performance and personal character attributes. Hansen leads the Pac-12 and is No. 2 in the nation in tackles for loss per game (2.0). He has 14 total TFL … Quarterback Tyler Huntley has been named to the Davey O'Brien Great 8 list for the second week in a row.
 
Two Minute Drill
The Utes have scored 40 points in three-consecutive games for the first time since 2010 … Utah is 5-1 in night games and 1-0 on natural grass … The Utes are 4-0 when they have more passing yards than their opponent … Utah's best offensive quarter is the second (61 points) and its best defensive quarter is the third (24 points) … Utah has scored on 90% of its trips inside the red zone (19-21) to 56-5% by its opponents (11-20) … The Utes are 4-0 when they lead at halftime and 5-1 when they lead after three quarters.