Utes face....

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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.


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Lobos feature jumbo linemen

They presented problems for U. last season

By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News

"Gigantic."
In a word, that's how Utah defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham describes New Mexico's massive offensive line. The Lobos are a beefy bunch up front. The average starter is 6-foot-4 and weighs 328 pounds.
They just might be, Whittingham said, the biggest line in the country.
Size mattered a year ago, when all five of New Mexico's starters had assignment grades of 95 percent or higher and 12 or more knockdowns in a 47-35 win over the Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The line was so dominant that tackle Jason Lenzmeier was named Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week for grading out so high.
"Last year was just who wanted the line of scrimmage most. It was the battle of the big boys up front," said Utah defensive tackle Sione Pouha. "And I think we had a few mistakes where they caught us real good. Control of the line of scrimmage was something we didn't have."
It's most likely a must this time around as the 14th-ranked Utes (4-0, 1-0) face the Lobos (2-2, 0-0) Friday (6 p.m., ESPN2) at University Stadium in Albuquerque.
New Mexico has three returning starters on the line ? center Ryan Cook (6-7, 316), tackle Claude Terrell (6-3, 338) and guard Robert Turner (6-4, 328) ? who plowed big holes in a 407-yard rushing performance against Utah in 2003. Junior running back DonTrell Moore, who is questionable because of an MCL strain and a bone bruise, has 282 yards in two career games against the Utes.
Though acknowledging Utah is big and strong up front, New Mexico coach Rocky Long isn't overly concerned.
"We have confidence that we can play with them," he said.
The Lobos have won the past two meetings. Prior to last season's lopsided win in Salt Lake City, they prevailed at home (in 2002) 42-35 in double overtime.
Utah defensive tackle Steve Fifita vows things are going to change this year. Head coach Urban Meyer believes it's critical.
"We have to play great defense. We can't win without great defense," said Meyer. "That's just the way we play."
New Mexico's offense netted 633 yards on the Utes last season. The Lobos also scored more points on them than any team since 1996.
"I think that coach Long does a great job preparing us mentally and physically for each game. The fact that Utah is known to be a physical team fires us up even more because we want to take that title away from them," said Terrell. "In order to come out on top this weekend, it's going to take an entire team effort from the defense, offense and the special teams. I am extremely confident in my teammates, and I know that we are going to get the job done."
This year's Lobos are younger than previous versions. They lost 14 starters to graduation, including eight who earned all-conference honors. Casey Kelly, the winningest quarterback in New Mexico history, is among the departees. On the other side of the ball, six seniors start on a squad that leads the MWC in total defense (322 ypg) and scoring defense (16.25 ppg). Utah, by contrast, enters the game leading the league in total offense (463.5 ypg) and scoring offense (40.25 ppg).
The battle between Utah's spread offense and New Mexico's effective 3-3-5 defense headlines the contest.
After outlasting Air Force on Saturday, Meyer said the Utes "have another extremely tough test" on Friday.
 

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Lobos brace for No. 14 Utah
Published: Friday, October 1, 2004

by Kristie Boudwin

Daily Lobo


With their top weapon back in the lineup, the Lobos host Mountain West Conference favorite Utah on Friday in a game that will be televised on ESPN2.

The news came late Thursday that DonTrell Moore will play after participating in practice. Moore, who suffered a sprained MCL while fielding a punt against New Mexico State last weekend, will see time in the offense but won't return punts against the Utes.

The Lobos look to upset the Utes for the third consecutive time as they begin conference play at University Stadium. UNM was the only Mountain West team to beat Utah last season, winning 47-35.

The Utes have won every game since and will try to redeem themselves tonight as they come to Albuquerque hungry to continue an eight-game winning streak. Utah head coach Urban Meyer said the Utes have put the 2003 loss behind them.

"Last year's game has nothing to do with this week's game," Meyer said. "Both of us have different teams this year."

The undefeated Utah team is receiving more national recognition than ever as a strong college team outside of the Bowl Championship Series. The Utes are becoming regulars on ESPN Sportscenter and have maintained the No. 14 spot on the AP poll and the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll for two consecutive weeks.

Both Utah and New Mexico are coming off big wins and physical games in week four. Utah defeated the Air Force Academy 49-35 at home, and UNM dominated the New Mexico State Aggies 38-3 on the road.

Though UNM and Utah both came out of last weekend victorious, they also came out of physical games with injured players. Playing a Friday game shortens the practice week for both teams, leaving little time to recover and regroup.

"We have a short week to prepare for a unique offense and defense," Meyer said. "There will be a fine line this week between getting healthy and rested and getting prepared to play a very good New Mexico team."

With efficient quarterback Alex Smith taking the snaps, Utah has the top-ranked offense in the MWC. In the first four games this season, Smith has completed 55 of 86 passes for 952 yards and eight touchdowns. In addition to his 64 percent pass completion, he has not thrown an interception yet this season. Smith is ranked first in pass efficiency in the MWC and third nationally.

Smith also rushes well when a defense lets him out of the pocket. Last week Smith led the Utes in rushing yards with 84 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

"He is a lot better player right now than he was last year," UNM head coach Rocky Long said. "I think he's reading defenses better."

Smith's ability to read a defense will be put to the test Friday, as he faces the top-rated defense in the MWC.

Long said the Lobo defense will make adjustments to stop the Utah passing game. It is important to keep Smith in the pocket and close running lanes because of his rushing ability, Long said.

Long is confident in the defense, but the short week poses a challenge in preparing for the dynamic Utah offense, he said.

"You can't be as complicated on defense as we like to be, and we have one less day to practice," he said. "I think our defense is hard to get ready for in a week, too, but their offense is really hard to get ready for in a week."
 
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