SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is known for it's stout, hard-nosed defenses. Ask anyone in the Pac-12 and they'll say how hard it is to go against Utah with their physicality and aggressiveness on the line of scrimmage. Teams dread the never-ending assault of the defense and are happy to finally see the game behind them.
They're the Stanford of the South, many say, which is meant as a compliment to how Utah doesn't fit in with the traditional offensive-heavy Pac-12 teams. Even Stanford head coach David Shaw, a guru at getting the most out of his players on the defensive side of the ball, speaks glowingly about Utah's physicality on the defensive side of the ball and how he's grateful he doesn't have to play them this year in the regular season.