No. 14 Utes’ dominant defensive line faces its toughest challenge yet
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Utah’s defensive line has been one of the best in college football through the midpoint of the season, and will be incredibly important as the Utes try and get after reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams on Saturday.
“Yeah, it felt good, man. It was a long time coming. We were just trying to be patient one day at a time, but then it felt good to be back out there with the boys.” — Utah defensive lineman Connor O’Toole on getting his first sack since coming back from injury
Williams and the USC offense enter the game as the No. 8 passing offense in the country, averaging 332.9 yards per game. The Trojans rank No. 2 in the nation, just behind Oregon — Utah’s opponent after the USC game — in points per game, scoring an average of 47.3 per contest. Williams specializes in being able to get away from the pressure and make something out of nothing, even when he appears to be in the grasps of the defense.
“Caleb’s an awesome player. I mean, the tape speaks for itself. Everyone knows it. He’s obviously the Heisman Trophy winner. All we can do is focus on ourselves right now and just try to get after him,” Utah defensive lineman Connor O’Toole said. “But obviously he’s an amazing player. It’ll be difficult to play against, but we’re excited.”
The Utes have 22 sacks on the year, which ranks No. 8 in Division I football, led by defensive end Jonah Elliss, who ranks second in the nation with nine on the season.
“Jonah’s freaking phenomenal. He’s a stud. He’s absolutely a great player, so to be able to play alongside him is a blessing,” O’Toole said.
The defensive end position was recently bolstered by the return of O’Toole, who made his season debut against Cal, and Van Fillinger, who missed the UCLA and Oregon State games. O’Toole had two tackles and 0.5 sacks, while Fillinger had four tackles and 1.5 sacks. Elliss contributed four tackles and 1.5 sacks.
“Connor getting a sack and then you had Van getting a sack. So I mean, like we said at the beginning of the season, you’re going to need that depth throughout the year and we’ve already seen that the need for it with injuries that happen,” Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley said. “So obviously it’s great to have those guys back. Van provides a ton of leadership and Connor continues to come along.”
That defensive end group is making life miserable for opposing coaches, offensive linemen and quarterbacks this season.
Helping the defensive ends are the guys in the middle, tackles Junior Tafuna, Simote Pepa, Keanu Tanuvasa and Tevita Fotu.
“Our D-tackles are awesome,” O’Toole said. “I think they’re some of the best D-tackles in the nation. They collapse the pockets so well and pushing it back and allows us edge rushers to get off the edge and not let the quarterback step up all the time because they’re pushing the pocket back so it gives us more room to work off the edge.”
O’Toole, who was out for the first five games of the season due to a sports hernia surgery, is a big addition to Utah’s defensive line.
“Yeah, it felt good, man. It was a long time coming,” O’Toole said of returning. “We were just trying to be patient one day at a time, but then it felt good to be back out there with the boys.”
Not long after entering the game for the first time this season in the second quarter, O’Toole had his first sack of the game, combining with Elliss to take down Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
“My heart felt good after that one for sure,” O’Toole said. “Just trying to knock off some rust now and trying to get back in the swing of things.”
Two plays later, O’Toole got his hand on the ball thrown by Mendoza, deflecting it, and Lander Barton picked it off.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham extolled O’Toole throughout the season, calling him one of the team’s best pass rushers.
“Connor is a tremendous pass rusher. You know how good Jonah Elliss is, and Connor is right there with him,” Whittingham said.
Utes on the air
No. 14 Utah (5-1)
at No. 18 USC (6-1)
Saturday, 6 p.m. MDT
LA Memorial Coliseum
TV: Fox
Radio: ESPN 700/92.1 FM
In 2022, O’Toole switched from wide receiver to defensive end, putting on weight so he could play the position. He led the defensive line with 41 tackles, including four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. This year, he’s aiming to continue that upward trend as he reintegrates into the defense. This offseason, he put on more weight, coming in at 251 pounds at the start of fall camp. He also worked on his counter moves a lot ahead of the season.
“I was playing a little light in that last stretch towards the end of the season, probably playing at like 235. So putting on that weight is a huge help in the run game,” O’Toole said. “Stuff like playing against tight ends, setting the edge, not getting washed out a little bit, just being a little more stout in there.”
Utah will face three elite passing offenses in the span of four games, facing Williams, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., so they’ll need the pass rush to continue to be in top form.
In case you missed it
More than any other series in the Pac-12 Conference for Utah, the annual game between the Utes and Trojans has produced some classic contests. As Utah and USC gear up to face each other for likely the last time for a while, here’s a look back at eight of the most memorable matchups between the two schools.
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Safety Sione Vaki excels playing both ways for Utah vs. Cal (Deseret News)
Utah’s offense finally shakes off the cobwebs in win over Cal (Deseret News)
‘Adapt or die’: The Pac-12’s demise is near. How will its basketball legacy live on? (Deseret News)
Up next
Oct. 19 | All day | Women’s tennis | ITA regionals | @ Salt Lake City
Oct. 19 | 1 p.m. MDT | Cross-country | Utah Open | @ Salt Lake City
Oct. 19 | 5 p.m. MDT | Women’s soccer | at Washington | @ Seattle
Oct. 20 | 6 p.m. MDT | Volleyball | vs. Arizona | @ Salt Lake City
Oct. 21 | 6 p.m. MDT | Football | at USC | @ Los Angeles
