Utes face MWC's top defense
Utah leads league in offense, so something will give
By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ? Pick a story line. Any story line.
Tonight's game at New Mexico (6 p.m., ESPN2) contains plenty of plots and subplots for the 14th-ranked Utes.
The most important one, however, isn't necessarily crashing the BCS or avenging last year's embarrassing 47-35 loss at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Utah coach Urban Meyer is taking a more focused approach to the Mountain West Conference tilt.
"This, without question, has championship ramifications," he said. "The winner of this game will be in the mix for the championship."
The defending champion Utes (4-0, 1-0) enter the contest with victories over Texas A&M, Arizona, Utah State and Air Force?extending their win streak over the past two seasons to eight. The Lobos (2-2, 0-0), who are the last team to defeat them, have wins over Texas Tech and New Mexico State but have lost to Washington State and Oregon State.
The games have created a statistical split between the teams. Utah leads the league in total offense (463.5 ypg) and scoring offense (40.25 ppg), while New Mexico is tops in total defense (322 ypg) and scoring defense (16.25 ppg).
"This is huge for us and huge for them," said Meyer, whose Utes are seeking their first 5-0 start since 1994.
Led by quarterback Alex Smith on offense and tackles leader Spencer Toone on defense, Utah is gaining increased attention as a potential BCS buster, a team considered capable of earning an at-large berth to one of the major bowl games.
New Mexico, meanwhile, is seeking a sixth consecutive season of improvement in terms of wins. The Lobos will need nine this season to keep Division I-A's longest active streak alive. Tonight's game looms large for other reasons as well.
"It's a big game because it's our conference opener, and they're considered the best team in the league," said New Mexico coach Rocky Long.
The Lobos were the lone team in the MWC to defeat the Utes last season.
The lopsided result still mystifies Utah.
"I don't know. That's a dilemma I wish I had an answer for it," said Meyer. "The first half we hung in there, but we still weren't in sync. In the second half, they kind of punched some holes in our defense."
The Lobos, explained defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham, spread things out in the second half and quickly scored on a 57-yard touchdown pass.
"Everything just snowballed from there. Everything they tried after that just seemed to work. We couldn't make a play. They made all the plays," said Whittingham. "Give them credit. They did a great job. Can I put my finger on any one thing? No. It was just one of those days where things go right for one team and not so good for the other."
The Lobos scored 31 straight points over the second and third quarters to pull away. They wound up with a whopping 633 yards of total offense, 407 rushing and 226 passing.
For obvious reasons, Meyer notes, the Utes need to play good defense in order to succeed. It's a matter of pride.
"Our defense is built around stopping the run," he said. "So this is going to be a great challenge for us."
EXTRA POINTS: New Mexico has won the past two meetings but Utah leads 28-15-2 overall . . . The series is tied 11-11-1 in Albuquerque . . . The Utes have not won at University Stadium since 1998 . . . New Mexico running back DonTrell Moore, who has 282 yards in two games against Utah, has been slowed by an MCL strain and bone bruise this week . . . When ranked nationally, the Utes have lost two straight games to the Lobos. The upsets occurred in 1994 and 2003 . . . A capacity crowd in excess of 38,000 is expected.
Radio: KALL 700AM
Utah leads league in offense, so something will give
By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ? Pick a story line. Any story line.
Tonight's game at New Mexico (6 p.m., ESPN2) contains plenty of plots and subplots for the 14th-ranked Utes.
The most important one, however, isn't necessarily crashing the BCS or avenging last year's embarrassing 47-35 loss at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Utah coach Urban Meyer is taking a more focused approach to the Mountain West Conference tilt.
"This, without question, has championship ramifications," he said. "The winner of this game will be in the mix for the championship."
The defending champion Utes (4-0, 1-0) enter the contest with victories over Texas A&M, Arizona, Utah State and Air Force?extending their win streak over the past two seasons to eight. The Lobos (2-2, 0-0), who are the last team to defeat them, have wins over Texas Tech and New Mexico State but have lost to Washington State and Oregon State.
The games have created a statistical split between the teams. Utah leads the league in total offense (463.5 ypg) and scoring offense (40.25 ppg), while New Mexico is tops in total defense (322 ypg) and scoring defense (16.25 ppg).
"This is huge for us and huge for them," said Meyer, whose Utes are seeking their first 5-0 start since 1994.
Led by quarterback Alex Smith on offense and tackles leader Spencer Toone on defense, Utah is gaining increased attention as a potential BCS buster, a team considered capable of earning an at-large berth to one of the major bowl games.
New Mexico, meanwhile, is seeking a sixth consecutive season of improvement in terms of wins. The Lobos will need nine this season to keep Division I-A's longest active streak alive. Tonight's game looms large for other reasons as well.
"It's a big game because it's our conference opener, and they're considered the best team in the league," said New Mexico coach Rocky Long.
The Lobos were the lone team in the MWC to defeat the Utes last season.
The lopsided result still mystifies Utah.
"I don't know. That's a dilemma I wish I had an answer for it," said Meyer. "The first half we hung in there, but we still weren't in sync. In the second half, they kind of punched some holes in our defense."
The Lobos, explained defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham, spread things out in the second half and quickly scored on a 57-yard touchdown pass.
"Everything just snowballed from there. Everything they tried after that just seemed to work. We couldn't make a play. They made all the plays," said Whittingham. "Give them credit. They did a great job. Can I put my finger on any one thing? No. It was just one of those days where things go right for one team and not so good for the other."
The Lobos scored 31 straight points over the second and third quarters to pull away. They wound up with a whopping 633 yards of total offense, 407 rushing and 226 passing.
For obvious reasons, Meyer notes, the Utes need to play good defense in order to succeed. It's a matter of pride.
"Our defense is built around stopping the run," he said. "So this is going to be a great challenge for us."
EXTRA POINTS: New Mexico has won the past two meetings but Utah leads 28-15-2 overall . . . The series is tied 11-11-1 in Albuquerque . . . The Utes have not won at University Stadium since 1998 . . . New Mexico running back DonTrell Moore, who has 282 yards in two games against Utah, has been slowed by an MCL strain and bone bruise this week . . . When ranked nationally, the Utes have lost two straight games to the Lobos. The upsets occurred in 1994 and 2003 . . . A capacity crowd in excess of 38,000 is expected.
Radio: KALL 700AM