GAME BLOG: No 13/14 Utah at Wyoming

Final - Utah 40 Wyoming 7

Utah moves to 7-0 with a blowout win, but no thanks to the offense. It struggled with it's consistency and maintaining drives and got complacent (much like BYU did against Utah St.). Without the defense and special teams this game would have been much closer. Johnson was again erratic and inconsistent, missing open receivers, throwing behind others and looking indecisive most of the game. The rushing game lookes sluggish, except for Louks, and needs to do better at busting through the holes. The defense again dominated from Wyoming's opening possession and Louie Sakoda again proved why he is the best player on this powerful Utah team. However, if the offense doesn't pick it up soon, the Utes could end such a promising season with a painful loss. 3:19 4th Quarter

Another special teams touchdown for Utah. R.J. Rice picks up a muffed punt (Utah's ninth) in the end zone. The wind is really blowing, making if difficult to judge, then catch. It's like trying to hit a knuckleball in baseball. Utah's extra point try failed as the holder dropped the ball. Sakoda just hit the cross bar on his kick off! He was kicking with the wind.

Utah 40 Wyoming 7

5:17 4th Quarter

Louks has taken over for Johnson as the Utes try to run out the clock. Johnson finished with less than stellar numbers(10-19, 110 yds and a touchdown, 10 rushes for 3 yds including three sacks). He continues his up and down season and erratic play. He has got to get more consistent if the Utes hope to beat both TCU and BYU. The running game also hasn't looked great. Louks is the only one who has averaged more than 5 yards a carry. Asiata and Mack have rushed for only 52 yards on 17 carries (3.1yds/carry).

Utah 34 Wyoming 7

7:47 4th Quarter

The Cowboys score!! After six straight rushes for 62 yards, third string QB Chris Stutzriem hits Greg Bowling for an 18 yard tip-toe touchdown.

Utah 34 Wyoming 7

10:24 4th Quarter

The highlight in this second half: an 81 yard punt by Louie Sakoda. Unfortunately it ended up in the end zone for a touchback. His eighth punt of the day (more evidence this Utah offense is struggling). Wyoming is on to it's third quarterback and is having a little success moving the ball.

Utah 34 Wyoming 0

End of the 3rd Quarter

The scores shows the Utes have dominated the Cowboys today, but the stats show the offense hasn't had much to do with that. The Utes only have 219 totals yards (119 passing, 100 rushing) and are only averaging 2.9 yards on the ground. The Utes have only 100 more total yards than the Cowboys. If the Utah defense and special teams weren't so dominant- this would be a different game and the offense would be getting hammered for a lack of production. The Ute's better get things together offensively or this excellent season could end on sour note.

Utah 34 Wyoming 0

5:56 3rd Quarter

A dropped snap by Sakoda and nine-yard punt set Wyoming up for a potential score starting at Utah's 35. But Sween throws a jump ball into the end zone and Smith makes his second pick of the day. An athletic, one-handed grab, which he returns to the 30 yard line. The Cowboys fail to capitalize on its best opportunity of the day by turning the ball over for the fourth time. Utah's offense struggling on third down (3-12) and have punted six times.

Utah 34 Wyoming 0

11:09 3rd Quarter

Another Utah touchdown. Johnson finally completes a pass downfield. A 41 yard pass play to Freddie Brown to the Wyoming 13 yard line. Then a little dump off to Asiata for 13 yards and six points. Wyoming's struggles continue. The Cowboys do not look willing to extend the defense or try something outside the box. Their play calling seems very predictable now. They have got to stay out of third and longs. The offensive line cannot keep the Utes off of Sween.

Note: The wind and chill is picking up. Expect the Utes to keep it on the ground now that they are up 34-0.

Utah 34 Wyoming 0

Halftime - Utah 27 Wyoming 0

After the Cowboys third turnover the Utah offense finally gets going... on the ground. Johnson continues to struggle through the air (5-11, 28 yards, 2.5 avg.), but the ground game is working led by QB Louks, who ran for 23 of Utah's 56 yards during Utah's last drive and direct snaps to RB Matt Asiata, who netted 18 yards on five carries and a score that last drive. The Wyoming offense looks simply overmatched by Utah's defense and the Sakoda-led special teams are outstanding. Wyoming needs to find some consistency,simply something that works. The Cowboys found some success in the middle of the field, both running and throwing, before Newman's pick. Look for them to go back there with a steady diet of hand-offs to Devin Moore (8 carries for 35 yards) and short passes to wide receiver Brandon Stewart and tight end Chris Sundberg. However, I still don't see the Cowboys sniffing the endzone. I expect to see the Utes try to get the passing game in order and Johnson on track. If this game was close, I wouldn't have been surprised if Whittingham turned to Louks more and less of Johnson's inconsistencies.

5:30 2nd Quarter

A fantastic play by jr. college transfer Aiona Key, who beats his man and blocks a Wyoming punt at its own 19 yard line. Key scoops up the ball and dives into the end zone for the score. While the Utes offense is struggling to move the ball, Utah's defense and special teams are dominating this game. Of the Cowboys eight possessions, they have 5 punts, one which was blocked for a score and three turnovers. Lineman Greg Newman intercepted a tipped pass, minus his helmet, for the third turnover.

Utah 20 Wyoming 0

10:30 2nd Quarter

Wyoming continues to sputter on offense giving Utah fantastic field position. Of Utah's five offensive possessions three have begun in Wyoming territory. However, the Ute offense only has six points to show for it. Johnson continues to struggle. He hasn't thrown the ball downfield since the beginning of the first quarter. QB Corbin Louks has given the Utes a different look on offense. During Utah's last series Louks threw a nine-yard pass and ran for another eight yards putting Utah in to field goal range. Sakoda with another no-doubter: 39 yards right down the middle of the uprights.

Utah 13 Wyoming 0

End of 1st Quarter

The Utah defense looks dominant. At this rate, I'd be surprised if Wyoming even gets close to the endzone. However, Utah's offense hasn't looked much better. The offensive line is struggling to protect Johnson, Johnson is struggling to get the ball downfield in the air and the ground game only has 23 total yards (2.1 average). This may be another typical Utah game: an offensive rollercoaster ride. Inconsistent and unpredictable with a few remarkable plays.

Utah 10 Wyoming 0

4:22 1st Quarter

Wyoming's offense goes conservative and somewhat predictable after it's second turnover (a fumble). Utah couldn't take advantage. The Cowboys are getting pressure on QB Brian Johnson making him somewhat erratic. The Utes have turned to the ground game with some success, but Johnson's inaccuracies have kept Utah's offense out of the end zone. Reliable Louie Sakoda bailed out Utah's offense with a no-doubt 50-yard field goal.

Utah 10 Wyoming 0

11:09 1st Quarter

Wyoming's propensity for costly turnovers continues. After three-and-outs by both teams, Wyoming quarterback Karsten Sween throws a bad pass, which is intercepted and returned 25 yards by Utah cornerback Sean Smith for a touchdown.

Utah 7 Wyoming 0

Meanwhile, the Wyoming Cowboys were simply ran over by New Mexico last week. The Lobos ran for over 300 yards on the day, while Wyoming's offensive woes continued. The Cowboys have scored 3 total points in MWC games so far this season (Air Force - 3, BYU - 0, New Mexico - 0).

Will Wyoming be able to generate an offense? How will Brian Johnson perform compared to the final 2 minutes of the Oregon State game?

My Prediction
The Cowboys will be fired up for this game and should receive some help from the weather. Look for multiple turnovers on both sides. The game will be close up until halftime as both teams capitalize on turnovers deep in their opponent's territory. Utah will come out strong in the 2nd half, but don't expect this to be a shootout by any means. In the end, Wyoming will play a good game but fall short, making more mistakes than Utah in this one.

MY PREDICTION: Utah 40 Wyoming 21 . Let me know what you think. Post your predictions/questions in the comment board.

Keys to the Game for Utah

• Stop the run - if Utah's linebackers and defensive linemen can disrupt Wyoming's running game, this one could get out of hand fast. Wyoming is 115th in the nation in passing offense, and 119th in scoring offense. It is simple - stop the run and you stop the Cowboys.
• Throw the ball - Brian Johnson will need to find receivers on short routes, rather than continually trying to throw the deep ball. While it may work occasionally, those long routes take longer to run and make Johnson vulnerable to the big hits while sitting back in the pocket.
• Keep your head in the game - Expect Wyoming to come out physical, ready to avenge last year's 50-0 loss at Utah (along with the controversial on-side kick). Utah can not let that get to their heads and start making mental mistakes (personal fouls, late hits).

Keys to the Game for Wyoming

• No Turnovers - Wyoming is ranked 118 in the country in turnover margin (out of 119 teams). In their last 3 games, they have given up defensive touchdowns on their first offensive series. In order to have a chance, they need to hang on to the ball.
• Score first - the Cowboys have trailed to start each of their six games this season. They need to come out firing and get momentum early.
• Run the ball effectively - Devin Moore and Wynel Seldon need to have a big day to help control the clock which will limit Utah's offensive possessions.

Utah Miscellaneous Stats

• Utah is out-scoring its foes 55-9 in the third quarter
• Utah ranks fourth in the nation in time of possession (34:03) and has the ball almost nine minutes more a game than its foes (34:03-25:57)
• Utah has scored on 90% of its trips inside the red zone (27-30), with 20 touchdowns
• Utah leads the league in kickoff coverage with a 49.2 net average.
• Utah became the first bowl-eligible team of the season last Thursday by beating Oregon State 31-28.
• Utah has now won 14 of its last 15 games.
• Nationally, Utah is tied for fifth in opponent first downs (82), ranks sixth in rushing defense (65.5), 13th in total defense (260.3) and 16th in tackles for loss (7.67).
• Since 2000, Utah has more wins against BCS schools (15) than any non-BCS team. Utah is 15-10 against BCS teams since 2000 (10-3 since 2004). Since the BCS began in 1998, Utah is tied for the most wins (16) against BCS teams by a non-BCS team.
• Utah coach Kyle Whittingham picked up career win No. 30 last week against Oregon State. He is now 30-14 in his fourth season as the head coach.
• Utah has won seven of the last eight games with Wyoming. The Utes lead 19-18 all-time in Laramie
• All-America punter/kicker Louie Sakoda, who kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired against Oregon State last week, has tied the MWC record for most career player of the week awards with 10.
• In the last two weeks, Sakoda has broken a 76-year-old record for most points scored in a career at Utah, and a 39-year-old mark for career punting yards.
• Starting offensive tackle Zane Beadles has Wyoming ties. Both of his parents are Wyoming graduates.
• Senior Brian Johnson has the secondmost wins ever for a Utah starting quarterback, going 19-7.
• Johnson ranks second in the Mountain West Conference in pass efficiency (148.3) and fourth in passing yards per game (221.7).
• Utah has two backs with nearly identical numbers at the season's midpoint. Starter Darrell Mack has 77 rushes for 363 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and Matt Asiata has 71 carries for 373 yards (5.3 average).
• In 24 quarters of play, Utah has held its opponents to under 20 yards rushing in 15. In seven of those 15 quarters, opponents compiled negative rushing yards.
• DE Paul Kruger ranks third in the country and leads the MWC in tackles for loss average (2.08). Kruger is 15th in the nation (second in the MWC) in sacks per game (0.92).
• Louie Sakoda is 11-of-11 in field goals from 47 yards and in, and he also has makes of 48 and 53 yards.

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