Across the Cougar sideline: Scouting the Utah Utes

PROVO -- Rivalry week has returned. And this time it couldn't come sooner. No, really, it's only been a little over nine months since BYU and Utah last laced up the football cleats and hit the field for the gridiron action.

BYU has a lot on their plate when it comes to preparation. A lot of questions are surrounding the Cougars after coming off of a 17-16 heartbreaker in Austin last week.

One of the biggest challenges with this year's rivalry that we haven't seen in years' past is the lack of preparation going into it. BYU is still wondering how best they can prepare for the Utes, as is Utah for the Cougars.

Since Urban Meyer became the coach of Utah in 2003, the Utes have ended the season just three times below 10 wins and current Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham deserves much of the credit. He has amassed an overall record of 59-21 giving him a win percentage of .738.

Last season the Utes ended the year 10-3 after a 26-3 crushing by Boise St., which marks Whittingham's first loss in a bowl game as a head coach.

BYU (1-1) vs. Utah (1-1)

Series Snapshot
For the first time in 113 years, the two schools are competing as non-conference opponents. The second-longest series in Utah history began in 1896 when BYU was known as the BY Academy. Utah leads the all-time series 54-34-4 (BYU does not acknowledge the BY Academy years, which would equally remove three wins and losses). The score is tied 17-17-1 in Provo, where Utah has lost two straight since winning there in 2005.Week 3 Game Notes

• BYU (1-1) vs. Utah (1-1)
• Date: Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011
• Time: 7:15 p.m. MT
• Site: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, Utah (64,045/Grass)
• TV: ESPN2
• Radio: KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM and ksl.com
• Series Record: Utah leads 54-34-4
• Last Meeting: 2010 (Utah 17, BYU 16)
• Kickoff Weather: Chance of storms, temps in the low 70s

Team Stat Comparison for 2011-2012 Season

	Utah	BYU	Adv.
OFFENSIVE STATS
Points For (Per Game)	20.50	15.00
Rushing Yards (Per Game)	136.00	67.00
Passing Yards (Per Game)	169.50	208.50
Total Yards (Per Game)	305.50	275.50
3rd Down Conversions (Season)	32%	41%
4th Down Conversions (Season)	60%	100%
Time of Possession (Per Game)	28:39	31:47
Red Zone Scores (Season)	100%	83%
DEFENSIVE STATS
Points Against (Per Game)	16.50	15.00
Rushing Defense (Per Game)	113.50	115.00
Passing Defense (Per Game)	223.50	133.50
Total Defense (Per Game)	337.00	248.50
3rd Down Defense % (Season)	37%	29%

The last time BYU beat Utah by more than a touchdown was in 1996. Only two times since then has the spread of a BYU win been seven or more points.

Utah is coming off of a tough 23-14 road loss to USC. The Utes had a chance to tie the game at 17, but a last-second field goal was blocked and returned for a Trojan touchdown.

The Utes have gone from a fringe Top 25 team in the pre-season to zero votes by voters heading into the third week of the season.

Despite the disappointing loss and offensive struggles, Whittingham believes the emotion surrounding this rivalry game may just be the right medicine to cure the Utes struggles.

"Even though this is week three, it's rivalry week. Our players will respond from this road trip and be ready to go," said Whittingham. "The team has a great attitude and great leadership and I don't see any issues getting back and getting in the right mindset to prepare for the upcoming game."

OFFENSE:

The Utes have displayed a fairly balanced offensive attack. Against Montana St. they had 29 pass attempts and 29 rushing attempts. Against USC, Utah had 46 pass attempts compared to 25 rushes.

Junior running back John White IV has gained 206 yards on 39 rushes for the season so far, and has shown a lot of elusiveness in the backfield. His speed could mean a potential problem for BYU's defense.

"The running back, I was impressed with at the USC game. He runs hard and quick and can break tackles," said BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall. "He's not big but he is fairly elusive and more physical than you'd expect from a player that size."

BYU can expect a similar offensive effort the Utes showed against USC. Being that BYU's biggest strength on the team is the defensive front seven, it's not likely we'll be seeing more rush attempts than passes.

"Really we're going to try and go back and study UCLA where Norm Chow was and get carry over plays and carry over concepts. Knowing this is the third game where there will be some things that are a little different," said Mendenhall. "We'll do our best to prepare and adjust. I'm not sure if there will be a play or two or a grouping of plays that we have to adjust on. You just do your best to predict it."

Junior quarterback Jordan Wynn so far this season has thrown 38 passes for 339 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, but he has been inconsistent and ineffective at times; and despite a solid ground game the Utah offense has stalled because of Wynn's struggles. Interestingly enough, however, only one of Wynn's 14 career interceptions has been in the month of September. So while Wynn has been inconsistent at best, he hasn't put his defense in horrible positions.

There is still a lot of speculation as to how healthy Jordan Wynn really is since his shoulder surgery earlier in the year.

"I've had surgery, so sure, my throwing motion is a little bit different. Anyone can attest that once you've had surgery, it's different. There might be some changes here and there. I just go out and throw it," said Wynn. "I don't really get into looking at my motion. I don't really look to change it or change it back. That's how you over-analyze things. I'm just going to go out and throw it."

Bronco Mendenhall also gave his thoughts on Wynn's shoulder: "The accuracy doesn't seem to be affected at all, possibly the release or the mechanics look a little bit different then from what I remember," said Mendenhall. "The only thing I've noticed is the delivery and the mechanics seemed a little bit altered from where it was before."

The biggest offensive threat the Utes have right now is junior wide receiver DeVonte Christopher. After being named an honorable mention out of the Mountain West Conference last season, Christopher has been named to the watch list for the Biletnikoff award, which is given to the nation's best college football receiver.

Even with Jeremy Brooks last year, Christopher led the Utes in receiving yards (660), yards per game (55.0), and touchdown receptions (6).

With 11 receptions for 136 yards last week against the Trojans, Christopher will cause a lot of trouble for the Cougars' defensive backfield if the Utah offensive live can keep the Cougars' front seven from getting to Wynn.

Freshman wide receiver Dres Anderson will also be another potential headache for the Cougars. Last week he contributed to the Ute offense with six receptions for 77 yards.

DEFENSE:

It's no secret that Utah's biggest strength is in their defense, which can lead us to assume this game will be a low-scoring defensive battle.

Sophomore linebacker Brian Blechen leads the defensive team with the intensity that they show on the field. Blechen switched from safety last year to linebacker this year for the Utes. The transition so far has been pretty smooth netting two interceptions in two games. He is supported by big-hitting senior linebackers Chaz Walker and Matt Martinez who are both capable of making drive-stopping plays.

Walker finished the 2010 season on the second team all-conference in the Mountain West, while Blechen and Martinez finished as honorable mentions.

The Utes have a lot of new faces in their defensive backfield, but don't let that fool you into thinking they're pushovers.

Junior defensive back Ryan Lacy is credited as being the fastest player on the team and has shown a lot of talent for the Ute defense. He is already credited with one interception so far this season.

Senior defensive back Conroy Black is the only familiar face on the Utah secondary. Junior Keith McGill and sophomore Michael Walker make up the defensive backfield along with Lacy.

Overall the Utes have a very solid defensive team. The athletic Trojans gained 264 yards through the air on Saturday and 152 rushing yards, but it was a battle.

BYU will look to open up the passing game with a solid running game, allowing the Cougars to take advantage of play-action and keep the Ute defense guessing. The tight ends could also be a major factor for BYU as they typically are in this match-up (i.e. Jonny Harline and Andrew George both scored game-winning touchdowns in recent years).

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Utes are typically solid on Special Teams and it was a surprise to see the breakdown on the blocked kick against USC. That is not reminiscent of a Whittingham-coached team. Junior kicker Coleman Petersen hit two field goals against Montana State, including a 44-yarder, and had his only attempt against USC blocked.

WR Reggie Dunn and DB Ryan Lacy are both averaging over 25 yards per kick return. Both players are small in stature, but as fast and as easy to catch as jack rabbits. The Cougars cannot snooze on kick-offs.

Email: onlinesports@ksl.com

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