GAME BLOG: (16) Utah 22, Wyoming 10

Final
Score: (16) Utah 22, Wyoming 10
SALT LAKE CITY -- After a lethargic first half for the Utah offense, the Utes inserted freshman Jordan Wynn into the game, who sparked the Utes to 19 2nd half points in a 22-10 victory over Wyoming.

Wynn finished the game 9-14 for 82 yards and a touchdown. Terrance Cain, who played the first half for the Utes, didn't play poorly, throwing 10-13 for 121 yards, but the Utes only scored 3 first half points, which didn't sit well with the coaching staff.

Eddie Wide eclipsed 100 yards again, piling up 135 yards on 24 attempts, scoring a touchdown late in the 4th quarter to seal the victory. The Utes improved to 7-1 (4-0 MWC) with the win.

Wyoming (4-4, 2-2 MWC) played significantly better than their last visit to Salt Lake. Freshman quarterback Austyn Carter-Samuels was 19 of 29 for 122 yards passing, and had the only Cowboy touchdown, a 30 yard reception from teammate Robert Benjamin.

Key Game Stats

• 3rd down efficiency, WYO: 2-12, UTAH: 4-13
• Time of Possession, WYO: 24:58, UTAH: 34:32
• Total Yards, WYO: 202, UTAH: 363

Next up for the Utes: vs. New Mexico
Next up for the Cowboys: vs. BYU

Time Remaining: 1:41 Fourth Quarter
Score: (16) Utah 22, Wyoming 10

RJ Stanford intercepted an Austyn Carta-Samuels pass, but the Utes were unable to get a first down and punted the ball back to the Cowboys. Wyoming now has a little over 4 minutes left to win this game. The fans are becoming a factor as Wyoming is penalized for another false start. This Rice-Eccles Stadiumm crowd is loud. Carta-Samuels is sacked on a desperation 4th down attempt deep in Utah territory, giving the Utes the ball on the Cowboy 9 yard line. Eddie Wide runs it in from 5 yards out to give the Utes a 22-10 lead (2 point conversion failed).

Time Remaining:7:35 Fourth Quarter
Score: (16) Utah 16, Wyoming 10

Jordan Wynn completes his first touchdown pass as a Ute, a 22 yard strike to Jereme Brooks. It capped of a 6 play, 55 yard drive for the Utes, and it gives them their first lead of this game, 16-10. Wynn was 2-2 on the drive, with the other a 11 yard pass to Aiona Key.

Time Remaining:10:34 Fourth Quarter
Score: Wyoming 10, (16) Utah 9

Utah forces a Wyoming 3 and out, and after the punt the Utes will take over on the Wyoming 48 yard line. The crowd is back in this game, giving the Utah defense a little extra motivation. Utah's offense goes 3 and out as well though, and the Cowboys will get the ball on their own 11 yard line following the punt.

Utah's defense again comes up big, forcing another Wyoming 3 and out. The Utes will have the ball on their own 45 yard line.

Time Remaining: 0:18 Third Quarter
Score: Wyoming 10, (16) Utah 9

Jordan Wynn will now get his 2nd drive as Utah's quarterback, starting from their own 30 yard line. Wide breaks off a 28 yard run off the right side, setting the Utes up deep in Wyoming territory. DeVonte Christopher picks up a key first down, taking the direct snap to the right and picking up 6 yards on 3rd and 3. A false start penalty kills the Utes though, turning a manageable 3rd and 8 into 3rd and 13. Wynn tries to beat triple coverage in the end zone, and luckily it wasn't intercepted. Joe Phillips' 38 yard field goal is good, cutting the Wyoming lead to 1, 10-9.

Time Remaining: 4:34 Third Quarter
Score: Wyoming 10, (16) Utah 6

On 3rd and 14, Carta-Samuels keeps the play alive, avoiding a sack and completes a pass to David Leonard for a gain of 16 and a key first down. Ute cornerback Brandon Burton nearly picks off a Wyoming 3rd down pass, but at least the breakup forces a Cowboy punt.

Time Remaining: 7:46 Third Quarter
Score: Wyoming 10, (16) Utah 6

The Cowboys will start the half on offense, going from south to north, starting on their own 20 yard line. The Utes hold the Cowboys to a 3 and out to force a Austin McCoy punt.

The Utes will take over on their own 30 following the punt. The Utes start freshman Jordan Wynn at quarterback, burning his redshirt. Wynn's first pass is complete to Luke Matthews, but only for a 1 yard gain. Wynn's 2nd pass is also complete, this time for a gain of 12 yards to David Reed. Wynn hits Jereme Brooks for a gain of 10 on his 3rd pass, setting the Utes up with a first down on the Wyoming 43 yard line. Wynn leads his team all the way down to the 4 yard line and nearly throws a pick 6, but the Wyoming defender (Browder) couldn't hall in the catch. Joe Phillips does make a 26 yard field goal to cut the Wyoming lead to 4, 10-6. Wynn's numbers on the drive: 4-5 for 30 yards. Not bad for his first ever collegiate drive.

Halftime
Score: Wyoming 10, (16) Utah 3

The Utes are leading in every statistical category so far this game except for one - third down conversions. Third down has been kryptonite for the Ute offense, as they have only converted 1 of 6 attempts.

Meanwhile, Wyoming quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels has been efficient, leading the Cowboys down the field and managing the game very well. Watching him I would not say he is a true freshman quarterback. Not only is he making plays with his arm (9-13, 64 yards), he is running well, keeping drives alive with his scrambling ability. He leads all rushers for Wyoming with 5 attempts for 29 yards.

Update on the Keys to the Game for Utah

• Put confidence back in Terrance - Check. He has gone 10-13 for 121 yards. He has been sacked twice though. His protection needs to improve.
• Control the football - The Utes have fumbled the ball twice, but have recovered both times. As far as time of possession, the Utes have 18 minutes, compared to 12 for the Cowboys.

Update on the Keys to the Game for Wyoming

• Take the crowd out of the game early - Check. The Cowboys took their first possession down for a field goal, then struck again late in the 2nd quarter for a touchdown. The crowd is slowly getting out of the game.
• Protect ACS - Check. Carta-Samuels has had ALL day to throw, and when finally pressured, he has scrambled for yards. He has yet to be sacked.

Time Remaining: 0:05 Second Quarter
Score: Wyoming 10, (16) Utah 3

The Cowboys utilize a trick play for a touchdown. After handing it off to Robert Benjamin, Benjamin rolled right and then threw the ball back to Carta-Samuels, who then ran in for the score from 30 yards out. The Cowboys now have a 10-3 lead.

After driving all the way down to the Wyoming 20 yard line, Utah's offense stalls yet again. Cain is sacked twice on the series, moving the ball all the way back to the Cowboy 34 yard line. Rather than try to kick a 51 yard field goal, the Utes elect to go for it on 4th down. Cain's pass is nearly intercepted in the end zone and falls incomplete.

Time Remaining: 5:28 Second Quarter
Score: (16) Utah 3, Wyoming 3

Utah's defense holds the Cowboys near mid-field, but an incredible punt by Austin McCoy pins the Utes back on their own 3 yard line. Two defensive plays stood out for the Utes. One was on a screen pass, RJ Stanford broke a block and tackled Robert Benjamin for a loss of 1. The next key play was a huge hit by Justin Taplin-Ross on the Cowboys' third down attempt, keeping Benjamin Stewart from gaining the first down. Unfortunately for the Utes, their offense goes 3 and out and are forced to punt. The Cowboys will have great field position on the Utah 44 yard line.

Time Remaining: 11:08 Second Quarter
Score: (16) Utah 3, Wyoming 3

Carta-Samuels dodges a bullet as his pass is nearly picked of by RJ Stanford for the Utes. The breakup forces a Wyoming punt, and the Utes will have 1st and 10 on their own 19 yard line following the punt.

Cain throws deep and completes again, this time to Jereme Brooks, who made an incredible catch for a gain of 33 yards. The offense stalls again in Wyoming territory, but this time Joe Phillips makes his 43 yard field goal attempt, tying the game at 3.

Time Remaining: 1:28 First Quarter
Score: Wyoming 3, (16) Utah 0

DeVonte Christopher gets a 2nd chance in the "Asiata" formation and completes his first pass attempt as a Ute for 8 yards. He was the Nevada player of the year in high school as a quarterback, and switched to receiver because he wanted to play. This may be an attempt for the Utes to get some depth at quarterback and keep the redshirt on Jordan Wynn. Terrance Cain his a deep pass to tight end Kendrick Moeai for 22 yards to set the Utes up with a first down on the Cowboys 24 yard line. The Utes shoot themselves in the foot, losing 18 yards on a snap that went over Cain's head. The Utes lose their chance at points as Joe Phillips' 43 yard field goal attempt goes wide right. 40 yards is out of his range, and the Utes have no confidence in Ben Vroman following the San Jose State game where he missed 3 field goals. And on that direct snap where it went over Cain's head, it is hard for a center to keep changing his snap with 3 different players taking direct snaps so far this game (Matthews, Cain and Christopher).

Time Remaining: 8:02 First Quarter
Score: Wyoming 3, (16) Utah 0

Update: Utah receivers coach Aaron Roderick will be up in the press box calling the plays. Dave Schramm, the offensive coordinator, will now be down on the field coaching the quarterbacks. Let's see if this has any impact on the offense.

Wyoming won the coin toss and deferred to the 2nd half. The Utes will start the game on offense going from north to south here in Rice-Eccles wearing their all black uniforms. A holding call on the kick return negates a 24 yard return, putting the Utes back on the 15 yard line. DeVonte Christopher makes his debut running the "Asiata" package, but the Utes are unable to convert their first 3rd down and are forced to punt. Wyoming will take over on their own 36 yard line following the punt by Sean Sellwood.

Wyoming quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels completes his first pass attempt to receiver Zach Bolger for a gain of 13 to set the Cowboys up near mid-field. On 3rd and 5 from mid-field, the Cowboys gain another first down on a pass interference call on cornerback LaMar Chapman. Stevenson Sylvester just laid out Carta-Samuels on his 3rd down scramble. What a hit! Carta-Samuels gets back at the Utes the next play, completing a 6 yard pass on 4th down and 4 for another Cowboy first down on the Utah 30 yard line. Utah's defense is finally able to get a stop on 3rd down, but the Cowboys get a 32 yard field goal by Ian Watts to strike first, 3-0. Carta-Samuels is really looking good, and if he had just a little more help from his receivers (2 dropped passes), they probably would have scored a touchdown on the drive.

• Put confidence back in Terrance - Terrance Cain has struggled in the Utes' last few games. Can the offense finally get on track and build some momentum to carry through the rest of the season?
• Control the football - Controlling the football keys in on two points: 1) time of possession and 2) win the turnover battle. Last week against the Falcons, the Utes lost both of those categories, and although they still won, they had to do it in overtime.

Keys to the Game for Wyoming

• Take the crowd out of the game early - If the Cowboys can take the home field advantage away early with a few scores that would be a huge momentum boost. Don't, and it could get ugly. Just ask TCU about the Blackout last year.
• Protect ACS - Austyn Carta-Samuels is a great up and coming quarterback. If the Cowboys can protect for him he could have a big game. That is a pretty big "if" going up against a solid Utah defense

Key Match-up
Wyoming's rush defense (140.6 YPG) vs. Utah's rush offense (182.7 YPG)

My Prediction
The last two Wyoming-Utah games weren't much of a contest as the Utes outscored the Cowboys 90-7. That won't be the case today as the Cowboys are a much improved football team from years past.

If the Utes can get their offense rolling they should be able to cruise to a comfortable win, albeit won't be a 40-50 point shellacking like the last two years. Eddie Wide, Shaky Smithson and Sausan Shakerin will get plenty of opportunities to run as the Utes will play a vanilla offense set up to protect the football and put some confidence back in their quarterback.

Defensively, I expect the Utes to put pressure on Wyoming QB Austyn Carta-Samuels. Is he ready for the big time stage? Not yet. The Utes should be able to force some turnovers and put their offense in good field position most of the game. But, like I said earlier, this will not be a blowout. Wyoming is headed in the right direction under their first year head coach.

MY PREDICTION: Utah 34, Wyoming 20. Let me know what you think. Post your predictions/questions in the comment board.

Utah Miscellaneous Stats

• Terrance Cain ranks third in the Mountain West Conference and 28th in the nation in total offense (255.7 yards per game).
• Eddie Wide ranks second among the Mountain West Conference rushers in all games (75.6 yards per game) and MWC-only games (111.0 ypg). He leads the conference in yards per carry (6.1)
• Senior David Reed ranks second in the MWC and 10th in the nation in receiving yards per game, averaging 99.3 yards. He is tied for third in the league and 21st nationally in receptions per game (6.43).
• Utah ranks in the top 10 in the nation in three defensive categories this week: No. 6 in opponent third down conversions (29.4% on 30-of-102 attempts), No. 8 in pass defense (160.4) and No. 9 in pass efficiency defense (96.6)
• The Utes are in the nation's top 25 in scoring defense (No. 22, 17.7) and total defense (No. 23, 308.3), while ranking third in the league in both categories.
• The Utes are looking for their 10th-straight sellout of Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday. Utah has drawn over-capacity crowds dating back to the first game of the 2008 season, averaging 45,506 during that time in a stadium that seats 45,017.
• Utah has won 20 of its last 21 games and 27 of its last 29 games.

Wyoming Miscellaneous Stats

• The only other time that Wyoming and Utah have played one another on Halloween was the first meeting between the two long-time rivals. That meeting came in 1904, and Utah won in Laramie by a score of 23-0. Wyoming played its first Halloween game back in 1896, winning on the road over Northern Colorado by a score of 10-6. Wyoming is 7-5-0 in Halloween games. The Pokes are 4-2-0 at home on Halloween. UW is 3-3-0 on the road in Halloween games.
• The Cowboys and Utes have played two common opponents to date - Air Force and UNLV. Wyoming defeated UNLV, 30-27, in Laramie, while Utah won in Las Vegas, 35-15. The Pokes lost on the road at Air Force, 10-0. The Utes defeated Air Force in Salt Lake City by a score of 23-16, but it took Utah an overtime period to get the win.
• This week's coaching matchup features two head coaches who have known each other for nearly 20 years. Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham coached on the same coaching staff together at Idaho State back in the early 1990s. Christensen was an assistant with the Bengals for the 1990 and 91 seasons, coaching the offensive line, tight ends and running backs during his two seasons in Pocatello. Whittingham served as an assistant at Idaho State for six seasons, from 1988-93. He was the linebackers and special teams coach from 1988-91 and was the defensive coordinator his last two seasons of 1992 and93.
• Wyoming is one of the youngest teams in the country, having played 12 true freshmen and started six true freshmen in `09. The six freshmen starters tie Wyoming for the second most in the nation with Miami of Ohio. Texas A&M leads the way with eight true freshmen starters.

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