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No. 17 Utah (4-0, 2-0 MWC) returns to Rice-Eccles Stadium for Homecoming--hosting Weber State (3-1, 1-0 Big Sky) on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 6:00 p.m. The game will not be televised. Tickets may be purchased by calling 581-UTIX, online at utahutes.com and at the Rice-Eccles Stadium box office. Radio is KALL 700 AM (kall700sports.com for internet streaming).
>Utah jumped three places to No. 17 in the national rankings this week in both the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches' polls.
> Utah is off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2004.
> Running back Darrell Mack was named the MWC co-Offensive Player of the Week for his 101-yard, three touchdown game against Air Force. Mack scored Utah's final three touchdowns, including the game-winner with 0:58 left.
> Weber State coach Ron McBride--Utah's head coach from 1990-2002--will be recognized in a pre-game video board presentation.
> Utah is 30-0 all-time against current Big Sky Conference members and 2-0 against Weber State.
> The last time Utah played a team from the Big Sky Conference was in 2006--a 45-7 Utah victory over Northern Arizona. In the last 20 years, Utah has played just three games with Football Championship Series schools--all from the Big Sky Conference (Idaho State in 1988 and 1994, and NAU in 2006).
> Utah is 53-30-4 all-time in Homecoming games.
> The Utes have more wins against BCS schools since 2000 (14) than any other non-BCS team. Since 2003, Utah is 11-4 against BCS schools.
DEFENSIVE DOMINATION
How dominating has Utah's defense been? Opponents are having trouble even getting into the secondary. Two linemen lead the team in tackles, with ends Koa Misi (25) and Paul Kruger (24) ranking 1-2. Kruger has a team-high 11.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks and Misi ranks second with 5.0 TFL and 2.5 sacks. Third is linebacker Stevenson Sylvester (20 stops, 3.0 TFL). The first member of the secondary on the tackle charts is Joe Dale at No. 4 with 18 tackles and 2.5 TFL. Some other defensive accomplishments of note:
- Utah ranks third in the nation in total defense (199.50), sixth in pass defense (138.25) and 10th in rushing defense (61.25). The Utes also rank second in the nation in opponent first downs (43) and tackles for loss (9.75).
- Utah leads the league in pass defense (138.25) and opponent fourth down conversion rate (25%). Utah ranks second in the league in rushing defense (61.25), total defense (199.50), pass efficiency defense (104.8), opponent third down conversion rate (28.6) and opponent first downs (43).
- Utah held Michigan, Utah State and Air Force to under 60 yards rushing.
- Air Force rushed for just 53 yards against Utah--300 below its season average entering the game--and the lowest rushing total by an Air Force team since 1980.
- In 16 quarters of play, Utah has held its opponents to less than 15 yards rushing in 11. In six of those 11 quarters, opponents compiled negative rushing yards.
- Utah held Utah State to the second-lowest total offense total in a game (116 yards) by an FBS team this year.
Quotes from Kyle Whittingham's Weekly Press Conference
Opening statement:
It was another tough game against Air Force just like we've had over the years. There were a lot of positives defensively. We played the option better than I can remember ever playing it. That is a tribute to our defense, the coaches and players, and the work they put in during the week. We did some good things offensively, but had some turnovers in the first half. We have some things we need to continue to work on and those will be addressed. Overall, the offense did some good things. Maybe the most critical thing is that we controlled the clock for 36-plus minutes, which is very difficult to do against Air Force. The run game in the second half was good with both backs gaining over 100 yards. I thought Brian (Johnson) threw the ball very well. The interception was a great play by Air Force, but we have to do a better job taking care of the ball. The stats are very skewed towards us. The thing that kept the game close was the turnovers in the first half. Special teams had a solid effort. Louie (Sakoda) had two difficult kicks. Both had plenty of length, and those are two kicks that he will make most of the time. In the punt return game, Terrell (Cole) caught the ball, so that was a non-factor. We are 2-0 in conference play, 4-0 through the first third of the season. We are in good shape. We have the middle third of our season coming up, then we have a bye week before the final third.
It was a physical game this weekend. We will not practice today, but we will condition and lift. This is a good time to get a little bit of freshness back into our players, so we will go back to work tomorrow. We usually do this 2-to-3 times a season at intervals and let the guys get their legs back underneath of them and regroup.
On injuries:
We've got some guys banged up. If we have a question about someone and have a backup we feel good about, we will probably air on the side of caution. There is no way we will overlook this game and we won't make any wholesale changes.
On turnovers:
It hasn't been any one particular guy or situation. It has been a combination of holding the ball and protection breaking down - a couple of times we have missed pickups and blitz packages. There is no one common thread. We emphasize taking care of the football daily.
On the defense against Air Force:
You are only as good as your last performance, and ours was pretty darn good. The way they were able to control the run game - it has been 28 years since Air Force was held to that few rushing yards. They are getting a bunch of three-and-outs and are in the top two in the nation in first downs allowed. The key is to get out of drives. We did give up some things in the throw game, but if you can take away the run game, you can live with a few miscues in the throw game.
On playing an in-state opponent:
Anytime you play in-state, there is a certain intensity and flavor to the game. Weber State has a lot of Utah players and there are a lot of guys who played against each other in high school. There is an added intensity and intrigue because of that.
On Weber State head coach Ron McBride:
I have a great deal of respect for him. He is responsible for the resurgence of the Utah football program and the majority of the players on the 2004 team were his recruits. He gave me my first Division 1 job and I am indebted to him for the opportunity. He is a close friend and a genuine guy. I learned a lot from him, particularly in the recruiting area.
On three Mountain West Conference teams in the top 25 (BYU, Utah, TCU):
It's been a great start for the three of us. We all play each other down the road and we will start beating each other. There has never been three ranked teams in the history of the conference. TCU has Oklahoma this weekend. That will be a good test for them. The conference is in a great situation with the exposure.