SAUL LOEB/Arizona Daily Wildcat Clarence Farmer breaks a tackle against a NAU player on his way to a touchdown on Aug. 31, a game in which he gained only 29 yards. The Wildcats go up against Utah and zone ö blitz rated defense on Saturday night at 7:22 p.m.

If You Go ... Who: Utah against UA Where: Arizona Stadium When: Tomorrow at 7:22 p.m. TV: Fox Sports Arizona Tickets: Individual tickets can be purchased for $7 Utah Player to watch: Quarterback, Lance Rice UA Player to watch: Wide Receiver, Bobby Wade

Don't laugh: The best defense the Wildcats will face this season might be Utah's.

The reason the Utes (2-0) could present such a problem for the Wildcats on Saturday night in Arizona Stadium is Utah's liberal use of the zone blitz, one of the hardest kinds of attacks to guard.

The defense usually employs blitzing linebackers and safeties, with defensive linemen dropping back into zone coverage. It forces offensive linemen to determine on the fly which players are rushing and try and block them. The zone blitz also allows the defense to overload one side of the line, causing mismatches between blockers and rushers.

In other words, Arizona's offensive line will have their hands full.

"Defensively, Utah is the best zone-blitz team that I have seen in a long time," Mackovic said. "They have lots of experience, they have a very active defense and they don't give up many yards rushing. We really have to block those blitzes."

A good sign for Arizona (1-0) will be the return of two important pieces to its offensive line sophomore center Keoki Fraser and senior guard Makoa Freitas. With the added depth on the line, the Wildcats will be better equipped to handle Utah up front.

While blitzes are generally aimed at rushing the passer, Mackovic said the Utes' attack is better designed to stop the run, evidenced by their performance against Indiana last week, when the unit allowed only 79 yards rushing.

This could spell trouble for an Arizona team that was unable to establish its running attack in their first game of the season. Junior running back Clarence Farmer, last year's conference leader in rushing, gained only 29 yards on the ground against NAU.

"I think that probably the reason we are so stingy against the run is the way we practice," Utah head coach Ron McBride said. "We are pretty physical in our approach. We're not always successful against the run but we feel we are prepared, so hopefully we can be."

Fortunately for the Wildcats, senior quarterback Jason Johnson exploited the Lumberjacks' emphasis on stopping the run with the best passing performance of his career, throwing for 381 yards and three touchdowns.

But Utah's secondary, which forced three picks in the second half of their game against Indiana, likely won't be as pliable as NAU's.

"They have some big guys in the secondary," UA wide receiver Bobby Wade said. "They could cause us some problems."

Mackovic said it will be helpful that he will have a veteran quarterback behind center to counter the blitz.

"The key for (Johnson) is being able to understand what you can and can't do against the zone-blitz. We have to be judicious this week in our routes and protections and try not to put Jason at too much risk," Mackovic said.

Of course, the outcome of the game will also depend largely on whether the Wildcats' defense ÷ particularly the secondary ÷ can shut down the balanced offensive attack the Utes will throw at them.

In the opener against NAU, freshman cornerback Darrell Brooks had a coming-out party, deflecting two passes and making six tackles, one for a loss. If Brooks continues his strong play, he and junior Michael Jolivette might be one of the best outside combinations in the conference.

Utah's rushing attack took a serious blow last week when standout running back Marty Johnson went down with a sprained MCL, likely forcing him to miss the next 4-6 weeks. But J.R. Peroulis, who will start in his place, rushed for 118 yards in a little more than a quarter last week against the Hoosiers.

Mackovic said this week that the UA defense, especially up front, will have its hands full with the Utah running game no matter who starts.

"Utah's running game is as good as Stanford was last year. They come right at you. They run at the line of scrimmage, and they come hard," Mackovic said.