Utah II Preview

UTAH PREVIEW: WILDCATS AND UTES TO BATTLE FOR FINAL FOUR SPOT

#12 Arizona vs #5 Utah

D1A Quarterfinals

Saturday, April 23rd

8:00 PM

McCarthey Stadium- University of Utah

Sean Coleman and the Wildcats hope to avenge a close January loss and advance to the program's first final four.

April 22- Arizona has named the side that will take on Utah this weekend in the D1A Quarterfinals, with a very similar team taking the pitch after a comprehensive 30-10 victory over LSU last week in the first round. Head Coach Sean Duffy has once again called on Lock Cesar Davila to lead the side with Kyle Rogers at Flyhalf as Vice Captain.

In the front row, the dynamic group of Dacoda Worth, Bryce Mantell, and Cam Hudson start, with Worth and Mantell coming off tries against LSU last week. Davila is joined by USA Under-20 Sean Coleman at Lock, with Ian Crilly, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Wildcat of the Week Tyler Hansen in the backrow. "Our forwards personnel has changed each week and I'm looking forward to having some continuity this week against a strong Utah forward pack" said Coach Duffy.

In the backline, Jonah Eldridge pairs with Rogers in the halfbacks with the only change being the center pairing of Shane Dempsey and Ben Joseph allowing Nick Alfaro to start at left wing. Adam Wilson and Jack San Pietro round out the backline, with the coaching staff looking forward to another strong performance from the backs. "The backs did a number of great things last week, and Kyle Rogers continues to take steps each month in his development as a Flyhalf" said Coach Duffy "Nick Alfaro came on due to injury last week, but provided a great spark to the game that in my opinion was huge to the momentum swing. Looking forward to seeing what he does from the start this time" said Coach Duffy.

The bench does have some changes, with Cody Hunt, Chaz Huntsman, Carter Harris, and Pat Evans covering in the Forwards. In the backline, Matt Rogers, Ricky Lindsay, Robert Melvin, and Lou MacLaughlin are ready if called upon.

Arizona looks to avenge a 39-31 loss to Utah in January in Tucson where the back and forth game slid the way of the Utes in the final minutes. With a win, Arizona will win its seventh straight game and advance to the program's first final four. Arizona last made the final eight in 2010, with many alumni from that team offering encouragement this week to help push the Cats on. "We're so thankful for our 1,600-strong alumni base and they're excited to see what we hope is a win this weekend" said Coach Duffy. The winner of this match will take on the winner of Cal Poly/Air Force against Saint Mary's this weekend, with the final taking place May 7 in Moraga, CA on ESPN 2.

Lineup (Click for bio)

3. Cam Hudson

6. Ian Crilly

10. Kyle Rogers

11. Nick Alfaro