Utah Utes football: Special teams, defense lead Utes to 7-0 record
"We had one goal coming in," quarterback Brian Johnson said after 13th-ranked Utah's 40-7 over Wyoming. "Get out of here 7-0 and that's what we did."
The Utes prevailed by scoring in a variety of ways — rushing, passing, kicking and off a blocked kick, an interception return and a fumble recovery.
"Overall a positive day," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, whose team heads into next week's home game against Colorado State without a loss in seven games.
Absolute perfection, however, still eludes the Utes.
"I think we're headed in the right direction. We still haven't played a complete game as far as hitting on all cylinders in all phases," Whittingham said. "Not many teams do that through the course of a season as it's not the easy thing to do. They've been finding ways to win and they've handled adversity well. But we have not played our best football as a team to this point."
Utah jumped out to an early 10-0 lead despite a slow start by the offense. The Utes had just 38 yards and two first downs in the opening quarter. Johnson said the swirling winds limited play calling early on.
Things eventually settled down, but the defense and special teams made significant contributions first.
"I think we played well in all three phases," Johnson said. "It was unbelievable winds out there."
Cornerback Sean Smith produced the first points for Utah. He intercepted a pass by Wyoming quarterback Karsten Sween, which was tipped by defensive end Paul Kruger, and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown less than four minutes into the game.
"That was huge," Whittingham said. "No doubt that set the tone right there."
Louie Sakoda followed with the PAT and later added a 50-yard field goal to extend the Utes' lead.
Between scores, Utah safety Joe Dale forced another turnover. Wyoming's Darius Terry fumbled the ball after getting by Dale and Robert Johnson recovered it for the Utes.
The defense shined in the first quarter, holding the Cowboys to only one first down.
Utah's mastery extended into the second.
Although the offense continued to stall (128 yards and seven first downs at halftime), the Utes made up for it with stellar play in the other phases. In a span of 56 seconds, they put 10 more points on the board. A 39-yard field goal by Sakoda got things started. Aiona Key capped the outburst by blocking a punt by Wyoming's Austin McCoy and returning it five yards for a touchdown.
Leading 20-0, Utah's defense set up another scoring drive before the half. On Wyoming's next possession, Derrick Shelby tipped a pass by Sween and defensive line mate Greg Newman picked it off it on the Ute 37.
Fifteen plays and just over six minutes later, Utah's lead swelled to 27 points. A 3-yard touchdown run by Matt Asiata concluded the drive with five seconds to go in the half.
The inclement weather that was forecasted arrived in the form of gusty winds that intensified midway through the second quarter and grew stronger during the break, dropping the windchill factor to 24 degrees during Wyoming's halftime festivities for homecoming.
After opening the third quarter with an exchange of punts, Utah braved the winds with a scoring drive consisting of two Brian Johnson passes — a 41-yard completion to Freddie Brown and a 13-yard scoring strike to Asiata.
Sakoda then added his fourth PAT to make it 34-0 with 10:36 left to play in the third quarter. The All-American later had trouble fielding a snap and had a career-low 9-yard punt in the breezy conditions. Utah averted trouble, though, when Smith intercepted Sween for the second time — this one in the end zone on fourth down.
He returned it 31 yards against the nation's most turnover plagued team.
The Cowboys, who have now turned the ball over 27 times this season, eventually had something to cheer about. Midway through the fourth quarter, reserve quarterback Chris Stutzriem teamed with wide receiver Greg Bolling on an 18-yard touchdown pass. It was Wyoming's first TD in conference play this season. The Cowboys had been outscored 125-3 over 15 1/2 quarters before the scoring strike.
Wyoming coach Joe Glenn said it is something his team (2-5, 0-4) can build upon.
Utah countered the touchdown with 3:19 left play when Tashaun Gipson of the Cowboys fumbled a punt return and R.J. Rice pounced on it in the end zone.
It closed out all scoring in the wild, windy contest.
"If you look at it, their special teams scored two touchdowns and we threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. That's 21 points," Glenn said. "I thought we did a pretty good job against their offense. You can't give up three touchdowns when the defense is not on the field."
The Utes, however, took a different perspective,
"Special teams were big today. They're big in every game," Key said. "We just pride ourselves on special teams and being good."
As for Utah's offense, Whittingham said the weather had a lot to do with the final numbers. The Utes wound up with 242 yards and 11 first downs. Wyoming finished with 252 and 14.
What really pleased Whittingham was a lack of penalties and turnovers. The Utes had only three penalties (none until late in the fourth quarter) and for the first time this season they didn't turn the ball over.
"We put a huge emphasis on ball security in the last two weeks," Johnson said. "And I think it's showing up now."
E-mail: dirk@desnews.com