TUCSON, Ariz. -- Fresh off a 24-17 win at home over California, Arizona will head out on the road to take on Utah in a Friday night clash in Salt Lake City. 

Game time is set for 7 p.m., Tucson time and will be televised on ESPN. 

A full preview is below:

Some Game Themes: It's a quick turnaround for the Cats and Utes, a pair of Pac-12 South rivals coming off key victories over North Division foes … The Friday night lights shine and yet another crucial matchup, this one sure to keep one side within striking distance of South leader Colorado … Utah returns home after a couple weeks with mixed results on the road, while Arizona arrives at Rice-Eccles Stadium following a two-game homestand that also produced mixed outcomes … On paper, Friday's game appears to be a clash of Utah's stifling defense and Arizona's explosive – when it's clicking – offense. The Utes rank third nationally in total defense, while the Cats are 12th nationally in plays of 30-plus yards … However, Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley is coming off a highly efficient passing effort that helped rout Stanford, 40-21, while Arizona's defense scored twice in the second half of a 24-17 comeback victory over California last week … From that end, the Wildcat defense has been a welcomed surprise in recent weeks, putting aside a series of early season injuries to find stability and playmaking ability while holding conference teams to 18.3 points per game – second-best in the Pac-12 … Still, it's Utah's defense that comes with the reputation for shutting down opponents, especially on the ground … UA has enjoyed success in the run game in recent years against Utah, and one would think they'll have to get J.J. Taylor going if a road win is to be expected this time around … Quarterback Khalil Tate continues to battle both nagging injuries and the newness of the offense, but he showed more explosiveness with his own run game as last week's game progressed. His ability to take off has been a missing element most of the season, but remains a focal point for opposing defenses … Most certainly, ball security will be a point of emphasis for each squad. These defenses feasted on turnovers last week (Utah also had a pick-six), but otherwise neither team has benefited significantly from the turnover game. UA is plus-1 in turnover margin this season, while Utah is minus-1 … The Cats seek to snap a two-year losing streak to the Utes after Arizona won four-in-a-row from 2012-15 … It should be a seasonably cool fall evening for football as a national TV audience checks in for some #Pac12AfterDark action on ESPN.

Last Week: It was yet another typical Arizona-Cal game with the Wildcats winning their fifth straight game in the wacky series with a 24-17 comeback victory last Saturday at Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and seemed to have the offense humming, but surprisingly that would be all the points produced by Khalil Tate & Co. Instead, Cal quarterback Brandon McIlwain took the spotlight, scoring on 25 and 23-yard touchdown runs to provide the Golden Bears with a 14-10 halftime lead. At the time, no one would have expected that would be the last offensive touchdown of the game. A defensive battle broke out in the second half, first with Cal turning away the Wildcats while protecting a four-point edge. But then, as McIlwain and the Bears were on the march to add to their lead, the inexplicable happened. Colin Schooler intercepted a McIlwain pass at UA's 16-yardline. He scooted 39 yards before Cal's Jeremi Hawkins punched the ball out at the Cal 45-yardline. The ball rocketed forward, but took a delicate bounce into the waiting arms of UA's Azizi Hearn who corralled the ball on the dead run and took it the final 34 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. Now trailing 17-14, Cal made the bold decision to go for it on fourth-and-one from the UA 3-yardline, but Dereck Boles turned away the Bears with a stuff at the line. Arizona took possession and turned in its best drive of the second half, marching the ball to midfield. But J.J. Taylor fumbled and the Bears recovered, seemingly turning momentum back to the visitors. On the ensuing play, McIlwain again threw errantly and Scottie Young Jr. raced 38 yards to put the Wildcats in scoring position. However, the home side had to settle for a field goal and Josh Pollack's 40-yarder hit the left upright. So with a new life and 7:05 remaining in the game, Cal began to march the ball back down the field. The Bears crossed midfield and had the ball at UA's 37 yardline when JB Brown came off the edge and sacked McIlwain, forcing a fumble recovered by Boles. But once again, UA's offense was unable to capitalize. The Cats punted and Cal took over at its own 14 with 3:21 left to play. That was when Young Jr. made the play of the game, stepping in front a McIlwain pass and returning it 24 yards for a touchdown and a 10-point cushion. Even so, Cal wasn't going away. Ten plays later, the Bears made a 35 yard field goal and suddenly it was a touchdown difference with 16 seconds on the click. A miracle finish was not to be, though, as Shawn Poindexter recovered the ensuing onside kick and the Cats took a knee with a 24-17 home victory intact.

Defense Takes Charge: Arizona's 2-1 start in Pac-12 play can largely be attributed to the improved defensive play. Some X'os and O's adjustments come into play for Marcel Yates' group, but the tangible difference is the Wildcats are simply playing hard for four quarters. The result has been no conference opponent has scored more than 24 points in the last three games (USC in a four-point win), resulting in what is the Pac-12's second-best scoring defense in conference-only games. By yielding only 55 total points (14 to Oregon State, 24 to USC and 17 to California), the Wildcats have allowed 18.3 points per game in league action. It's the first time since 2010 that Arizona has held opponents to 24 or fewer points in three straight conference games, and it's the first three-game stretch to open conference play with 24 or fewer points allowed since 2008.

Pac-12 Scoring Defenses (Conference Games Only)
1.    Washington                17.0
2.    Arizona                         18.3
3.    Colorado                      18.5
4.    Utah    23.3

Points Allowed First Three Conference Games
Year             Avg.                 Total Points       Pts. Allowed by Game (Gm. 1, 2, 3)
2018             18.3                  55                           14, 24, 17
2017             34.0                  102                         30, 42, 30
2016             38.7                  116                         35, 45, 36            
2015             39.3                  118                         56, 55, 7
2014             32.3                  97                           45, 24, 28
2013             31.0                  93                           31, 38, 24
2012             47.0                  141                         49, 38, 54
2011             47.0                  141                         37, 56, 48
2010             14.3                  43                           9, 27, 7

Second Half Surge: Arizona's defense is developing a knack for strong second-half performances. Consider, the Wildcats have allowed 17 total points after halftime in their three conference games to date (not more than seven to any one opponent). That's an average of 5.7 points allowed per game in the second half, a trend that is also noticeable when you factor in non-conference games. For the season, UA is allowing 26.5 points per game, including 15.5 in the first half and 11.0 in the second half. The only team to score more than 14 points after intermission was BYU, which tallied 21 in the third quarter of the season opener.

Turnover Turnaround: After creating only one turnover in the first four games of the season, the Arizona defense has forced seven over the last two weeks against USC (3) and California (4). It's the first time the Cats have produced consecutive games with three or more turnovers since a three-game stretch during the 2014 season against Colorado (4), Washington (3) and Utah (4).  Prior to Saturday's win over California, UA last forced four turnovers in a game last Oct. 28 in a 58-37 win over Washington State.

Cats Get Picky: Over the first five games of the season, the Wildcats' defense had intercepted just one pass. Last Saturday against California, Arizona picked off Brandon McIlwain three times, returning two for touchdowns. Colin Schooler snared the first, returning it 39 yards before he had the ball poked away and Azizi Hearn opportunistically picked up the loose ball to run it in the final 34 yards for a score. The first of two Scottie Young Jr. interceptions came with 8:12 to play in the fourth quarter. His second proved to be the dagger, taking it in 24 yards for a touchdown with 3:21 remaining. The flurry of second-half interception marked several "first since…" notes:

• It's the first time Arizona had two defensive touchdowns in a game since Sept. 3, 2015 versus UTSA.
• Arizona scored on two interception returns for the first time since a 58-13 win over UNLV in 2013. Tra'Mayne Bondurant and Jake Fischer each had an interception return for a touchdown in that game.
• Saturday is believed to be the first game in which the Wildcats returned two interceptions for touchdowns against a Pac-10/12 foe (joined the league in 1978).
• Scottie Young Jr., had a pair of interceptions Saturday, marking the first time an Arizona player had two interceptions in a game since Jace Whittaker had a pair of interceptions last year versus UCLA on Oct. 14.
• The Wildcats now have 16 interceptions in their last 10 conference games.

(Red) Zoned Out: Arizona did something that rarely happens: win a game without a possession inside the redzone. In fact, it was only the 10th time since 2001 that Arizona failed to produce a red zone possession and the Wildcats were 0-9 in the previous contests. What's interesting about the note is it's not always indicative of offensive success or lack thereof. Prior to last Saturday, the most recent occurrence without a red zone possession was actually last December's Foster Farms Bowl against Purdue, in which the Wildcats scored five touchdowns (all passing) from outside the redzone. Still, the Wildcats fell short, losing 38-35 to the Boilermakers. Otherwise, a 2014 loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game was the only other contest UA did not have a red zone trip since 2006 (seven straight seasons with a redzone drive in every game).

Explosive Plays: In recent weeks, Arizona has regained its knack for big plays that became so prominent last year. The Cats have racked up 18 offensive plays of at least 30 yards this season, a tally that ranks tied for 12th-most nationally. Interestingly, UA had only two such plays in its first two games of the season. Since, the Cats have produced 16 plays of 30+ yards over the last four games.

School-er Zone: A consensus Freshman All-America selection last season, Colin Schooler has been a man on a mission the first six weeks of his sophomore season. He leads Arizona with 66 tackles through five games. Schooler already has 11 1/2 tackles-for-loss, which leads the Pac-12 and is tied with two others for third-most in the country. Schooler has had at least ½ tackle-for-loss in each game this season and picked up a full TFL in Arizona's win over Cal on Saturday when he finished with nine total tackles. The linebacker had Arizona's first 16-tackle game in four seasons in the opener versus BYU. He then had nine tackles apiece against Houston and Southern Utah over the next two weeks, before hitting 10 against the Beavers. Schooler led the Wildcats with 13 stops against USC. He has 25 career TFLs to his credit in just 19 career games and 16 career starts. Schooler is averaging 1.56 TFLs per start in his career. He's had at least three TFLs in a game four times over his last 10 games dating back to last season. Schooler has also been either the team's leading tackler or second leading tackler in 11 of Arizona's last 12 games.

16+ Tackle Games by an Arizona Defender Since 2000

Name	Year	Opponent	Tackles
Scooby Wright	2014	UCLA	19
Scooby Wright	2014	California	18
Spencer Larson	2007	USC	17
Spencer Larson	2005	Oregon State	17
Colin Schooler	2018	BYU	16
Marquis Flowers	2011	Stanford	16
Lance Briggs	2000	Utah	16
Spencer Larson	2007	Oregon	16
Jarvie Worcester	2001	Stanford	16

 
Pac-12 Leading Tacklers Through 5 Games

Player	School	Total Tackles
Ben Burr-Kirven	Washington	74
Colin Schooler	Arizona	66
Adarius Pickett	UCLA	61
Evan Weaver	California	56

 
More on his TFLs: Schooler's 11 1/2 tackles-for-loss are the second-most through six games by any Arizona defensive player since at least 1997. That season, Mike Szlauko had 13 TFLs through six games after compiling six in the sixth game of that season against Stanford. Szlauko didn't play after that game and finished with 13 on the season. Scooby Wright, who had 29 TFLs in 2014, had 11 at the midway point of the regular season. Interestingly, only one of Schooler's 11 ½ TFLs is a sack.

Most TFLS Through 6 Games by an Arizona Defensive Player Since 1997

Player	Season	TFLs Through 4 Games
Mike Szlauko	1997	13
Colin Schooler	2018	11.5
Scooby Wright	2014	11
Joe Salave'a	1997	10

 
National Leaders in TFLs

Player	School	TFLs
Nate Harvey	ECU	13
Gerald Willis	Miami (Fla.)	12.5
Colin Schooler	Arizona	11.5
Jordan Brailford	Oklahoma State	11.5
Jonathan Garvin	Miami (Fla.)	11.5

 
Shun Does a Ton: A member of the Paul Hornung Award List for the country's most versatile player, Shun Brown does a little bit of everything for Arizona. A dynamic punt returner, Brown's primary responsibility for the Wildcats is as the team's leading receiver. Brown has led the team in catches and yards the past two games. Two games ago, versus USC, Brown caught five passes for 81 yards. He followed that up with four grabs for 38 yards against Cal to once again lead the team. He leads the team with 27 catches this season and has 342 yards and three touchdowns. Brown now has 103 career receptions for the Wildcats, eclipsing the 100-catch mark last week against the Golden Bears. Brown is 25 career catches away from entering Arizona's Top 12 all-time in receptions. He would need to average 4.17 catches per game over Arizona's final six regular season games to get to that point. Brown has also entered Arizona's Top 14 all-time in receiving touchdowns with 12. He's two away from tying Cayleb Jones for 13^th all-time. Brown led Arizona with 43 receptions last year and finished with 573 yards, which was second most on the team behind Tony Ellison. This season, Brown has a Pro Football Focus "threat rate" of 34.4 percent, which is the highest on the team, meaning he is Khalil Tate's most targeted receiver. Tate and Brown have a completion percentage of 64.3, which is the second-highest of any Wildcat receiver behind Shawn Poindexter.
 
Most Career Receiving Touchdowns in School History
1. Juron Criner; 32
2. Theopolis Bell, 30
3. Dennis Northcutt, 24
------------------------
14. Shun Brown, 12
14. Samajie Grant, 12
14. Rodney Williams, 12
 
Lefty Vets: Arizona's revamped offensive line has improved each week and spots have been solidified with the return of senior left tackle Layth Friekh. Friekh missed the first two games of the season, but returned against Southern Utah. When he was inserted back into the lineup, left tackle Donovan Laie moved to right tackle and redshirt junior Cody Creason moved from right tackle to left guard. The move seems to have paid big dividends. Over the past four games with Friekh and Creason on the left side of the line, Arizona has produced 1,815 yards of total offense and 141 total points. Against Oregon State, Creason led all Arizona offensive players with a Pro Football Focus game score of 87. That score was the highest by any Pac-12 offensive lineman that week and the second-best by any Power 5 lineman. Creason received a run blocking grade of 88.9 and a pass block grade of 83. Friekh had the second-best score of any Pac-12 lineman behind Creason with a score of 81. He received a pass blocking grade of 83.9. The two have combined for 51 career starts and 61 career games played. Friekh had the highest PFF grade of any Arizona offensive lineman against USC. His season grade of 73.6 is second-best on Arizona's offense behind Shawn Poindexter and tops among offensive linemen. Creason is the second-highest rated offensive lineman through six games with a season grade of 71.3.
 
All over the Field(s): Sophomore linebacker Tony Fields has been a tackling machine since making his debut last season. Fields led Arizona with 104 stops last season, and currently sits second on the team with 45 stops and is tied for 11^th in the league through six games. In his 19 career games, Fields has 149 total tackles, which is now the second-most by any Arizona player through 19 career games. His teammate, Colin Schooler has 12 more tackles than Fields through their first 19. Fields has started every game of his career and has proven to be a stalwart for coach Marcel Yates' defense. The combination of Fields and Schooler at linebacker has been a lethal one-two punch. In fact, the two teammates have combined for 111  total tackles through two games, which is the most of any conference teammates this season. The two combined for 199 last season with 21 tackles-for-loss and nine sacks. Fields collected his first tackle-for-loss of the season last month at Oregon State.
 

Teammates	Team	Total Tackles
Colin Schooler/Tony Fields	Arizona	111
Ben Burr-Kirven/Myles Bryant	Washington	109
Evan Weaver/Jordan Kunaszyk	California	107

 
Taylor Time: J.J. Taylor enters this week's game against Utah as Arizona's leading rusher with 600 yards and three touchdowns. He's averaging exactly 100 yards per game. Taylor had a breakout game last month at Oregon State, putting together one of the best games ever by an Arizona running back. Taylor rushed for 284 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries against the Beavers, becoming just the 15^th player in school history to rush for 200 or more yards. More, Taylor's total of 284 yards rank fourth all-time at Arizona for a single-game rushing total and third by a Wildcat running back. Taylor had 102 yards on his two touchdown runs alone against the Beavers, scoring from 40 yards out and 62 yards. He was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for that game, becoming the first Wildcat offensive player since Khalil Tate last year to win the award. It was Taylor's fourth-career 100-yard game and first since totaling 129 yards against Oregon State last season. The 27 carries also marked a career high for Taylor. His 284 yards are the most ever by an Arizona running back in a road game. Only Tate's 327 yards at Colorado last season are more by an Arizona player in a road game. Last week against USC, Taylor had 50 yards on 18 carries.

Top Rushing Performances in School History

Player	Opponent/Year	Rushing Yards
Ka'Deem Carey	Colorado/2012	366
Khalil Tate	at Colorado/2017	327
Trung Canidate	Arizona St./1998	288
J.J. Taylor	at Oregon State	284
Ka'Deem Carey	Utah/2013	236

 
Lockdown Lo: Sophomore cornerback Lorenzo Burns, who had a breakout season last year as a redshirt freshman, has taken the next step in his development this year as a sophomore. In the season opener this year, Burns established a new career high with three pass breakups and finished with three tackles in the 14^th consecutive start of his career against BYU. He then started his 15^th straight game against Houston and had three stops, but wasn't tested much by Houston quarterback D'eriq King. Against Southern Utah, Burns was once again a menace in the defensive backfield, breaking up a pair of passes to give him five for the season. Burns had another pass breakup to go with seven tackles at Oregon State last Saturday. Burns had another pass breakup against USC, his dad's alma matter, and another one against Cal. He now leads the team in that category with eight this season and is tied for third in the conference. The next closest on the team is three by Tim Hough and Tristan Cooper. Burns ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in passes defended, averaging 1.33 per contest. Burns established himself as one of Arizona's most reliable defenders a year ago as a freshman. He tied for second in the nation in interceptions by a freshman with his five. The five picks were the most by an Arizona defender since Trevin Wade also had five in 2009. Burns now has 15 career pass breakups in 19 games.

Pac-12 Leaders in Pass Breakups

Player	School	Passes Defended
Paulson Adebo	Stanford	12
Byron Murphy	Washington	9
Lorenzo Burns	Arizona	8

PJ Making Plays: Arizona added some beef on its defensive line with the addition of junior college transfer P.J. Johnson. The 6-foor-4-inch, 335-pound lineman from Sacramento, California has had an instant impact for the Wildcats. Johnson started the first game of the season against BYU, but then missed the next two with a foot injury. He returned against Oregon State and has at least one tackle-for-loss in each of his three games since returning from injury. Johnson had two tackles, including one for a loss on Saturday against Cal. The previous week, Johnson had four tackles, 1 ½ tackles-for-loss and one fumble recovery against USC. Johnson had a pair of tackles-for-loss against Oregon State and has 4 ½ on the season, which is second on the squad to Colin Schooler. Johnson started at tackle against BYU, but has moved to defensive end the past two weeks, where he has made an even bigger impact.