Utah gets run over by the Horned Frogs

2009 Utah Utes ... Head Coach: Kyle Whittingham

2009 Preview
CFN Prediction: 9-3
2009 Record: 8-2

9/3 Utah St W 35-17
9/12 at SJSU W 24-14
9/19 at Oregon L 31-24
9/26 Louisville W 30-14
10/3 OPEN DATE
10/10 at Colorado St W 24-17
10/17 at UNLV W 35-15
10/24 Air Force W 23-16 OT
10/31 Wyoming W 22-10
11/7 New Mexico W 45-14
11/14 at TCU L 55-28
11/21 San Diego State
11/28 at BYU

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2008 Record: 13-0

8/30 at Michigan W 25-23
9/6 UNLV W 42-21
9/13 at Utah State W 58-10
9/20 at Air Force W 30-23
9/27 Weber State W 37-21
10/2 Oregon State W 31-28
10/11 at Wyoming W 40-7
10/18 Colorado State W 49-16
10/25 OPEN DATE
11/1 at New Mexico W 13-10
11/6 TCU W 13-10
11/15 at San Diego St W 63-14
11/22 BYU W 48-24
Sugar Bowl
1/2 Alabama W 31-17

Utah Utes

Nov. 14
at TCU 55 … Utah 28
TCU rolled up 549 yards of total offense and rolled through a big first half with Matthew Tucker tearing off a 41-yard run to get the scoring rolling and Jeremy Kerley and Antoine Hicks scoring on short scoring runs as part of a 35-7 first half. Tank Carder added a 15-yard interception return for a score. Utah had a few big plays of its own, highlighted by a 50-yard David Reed touchdown catch, but TCU was never threatened from the late first quarter and on. The Utes pulled within 20 on a one-yard Eddie Wide run late in the third, but TCU pulled away on a 14-yard Ed Wesley run and a nine-yard score from Tucker. Utah was outgained 342 yards to 65 on the ground.
Player of the Game: TCU DE Jerry Hughes made eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, and three quarterback hurries
Utah: Passing: Jordan Wynn, 16-32, 219 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Eddie Wide, 14-25, 1 TD, Receiving: David Reed, 6-111, 1 TD
TCU: Passing: Andy Dalton, 17-29, 207 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ed Wesley, 12-137, 1 TD, Receiving: Ryan Christian, 5-48, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Utah came into the game with the right attitude, and seemingly, the right frame of mind, but TCU was simply the better team. Jordan Wynn wasn’t the problem, completing half of his passes for 219 yards and a score with a pick six, but the run defense got dominated by the TCU offensive front. It didn’t help Wynn that OT Tony Bergstrom didn’t get much help against Jerry Hughes, while the team didn’t help itself with 14 penalties. As ugly as this loss was, the season can turn quickly back around with a win over San Diego State before the showdown against BYU. Finishing 10-2 with a win over the rival Cougars wouldn’t be a bad year by any measure.

Nov. 7
at Utah 45 … New Mexico 14
Jordan Wynn threw two touchdown passes including a 69-yarder to Jereme Brooks to start the scoring, but Utah didn’t end the fun until the third quarter. New Mexico tied it at seven on a 59-yard Ty Kirk touchdown catch, and then the Utes scored 28 straight points with Brooks running for a 29-yard score an Eddie Wide ripping off a 35-yard score. Utah finished with 557 yards of offense with both Wide and Sausan Shakerin ran for over 100 yards.
Player of the Game: Utah RB Eddie Wide ran 20 times for 145 yards and two scores
New Mexico: Passing: Donovan Porterie, 15-32, 186 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Kasey Carrier, 11-54, Receiving: Bryant Williams, 3-34
Utah: Passing: Jordan Wynn, 18-28, 297 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Eddie Wide, 20-145, 2 TD, Receiving: David Reed, 6-65
What It All Means: What team is in the midst of a huge season with a chance in November to win a conference title goes to a freshman at quarterback? The switch to Jordan Wynn worked well this week, but it was against New Mexico. Does he have enough experience, and does he know what he’s doing to be ready for the Mountain West showdown of the year at TCU? The running game will try to control the game, especially after Eddie Wide ran for his sixth straight 100-yard game, but to have a chance at the win, Wynn will have to play like a veteran.

Oct. 31
at Utah 22 … Wyoming 10
Wyoming took a 10-3 lead going into the locker room on a trick play with QB Austyn Carta-Samuels catching a 30-yard touchdown pass, but Utah dominated in the second half. The Utes scored 18 unanswered points with Joe Phillips kicking two of his three field goals and Jereme Brooks catching a 22-yard touchdown pass to take the lead for good. Eddie Wide put it away with a five-yard scoring run. The Ute defense came up with five sacks in the second half and held UW to 202 total yards of offense.
Player of the Game: Utah RB Eddie Wide ran 24 times for 135 yards and a score.
Wyoming: Passing: Austyn Carta-Samuels, 19-30, 121 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Stewart, 6-28, Receiving: Zach Bolger, 4-26
Utah: Passing: Terrance Cain, 10-13, 121 yds
Rushing: Eddie Wide, 24-135, 1 TD, Receiving: David Reed, 7-59
What It All Means: Utah’s offense struggled and sputtered, and although Terrance Cain wasn’t bad, he didn’t provide the pop that freshman Jordan Wynn did. It’s a little late in the season to start experimenting, especially considering the Utes are 7-1 and unbeaten in conference play, but the coaching staff trusts its defense and the running game enough to mess around with the quarterback situation. The timing is right to see what Wynn can do against a bad team facing New Mexico up next. After giving up just 202 yards of total offense to Wyoming, the defense, especially against the run, should dominate next week. 

Oct. 24
at Utah 23 … Air Force 16 OT
Utah’s Stevenson Sylvester stopped Air Force QB Connor Dietz on fourth and two in overtime for the win after the Utes got a one-yard Eddie Wide touchdown run on their possession. The Falcons controlled the ball for close to 39 minutes with 254 rushing yards, but they only got into the end zone once on a one-yard Jared Tew run in the first quarter. Utah started off the scoring on a 45-yard Wide run and got a 90-yard David Reed touchdown catch early in the third. Erik Soderberg kicked three field goals for Air Force, including a 48-yarder in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Player of the Game: Utah RB Eddie Wide ran 17 times for 121 yards and two scores.
Air Force: Passing: Connor Dietz, 7-10, 64 yds
Rushing: Connor Dietz, 28-98, Receiving: Kyle Halderman, 3-54
Utah: Passing: Terrence Cain, 11-21, 167 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Eddie Wide, 17-121, 2 TD, Receiving: David Reed, 7-149, 1 TD
What It All Means: Utah was able to get out alive even though nothing really worked. The defense and Stevenson Sylvester came up with the stop needed to win, but the run defense couldn’t stuff the Falcons and couldn’t get off the field. The big scare, besides going into OT, was a scare with Eddie Wise hurting his ankle, and the offense can’t go on without him. All appears to be fine, and while no one is talking about the Utes, they’re on a four-game winning streak and are 3-0 in Mountain West play with TCU and BYU still to play. However, those games are on the road, so there can’t be any misfires at home against Wyoming and New Mexico over the next two weeks. 

Oct. 17
at Utah 35 …. UNLV 15
Utah scored 21 straight points in the second quarter with Terrance Cain running and throwing for short scores, and Robert Johnson returning an interception 64 yards for a touchdown. UNLV tried to rally back in the third quarter with the third of Kyle Watson’s three field goals and a two-yard Phillip Payne touchdown catch, but Eddie Wide put it away with a 37-yard touchdown dash. Utah committed ten penalties for 110 yards and lost two fumbles.
Player of the Game: Utah RB Eddie Wide ran 17 times for 111 yards and a score
UNLV: Passing: Omar Clayton, 23-44, 223 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Channing Trotter, 13-46, Receiving: Phillip Payne, 7-57, 1 TD
Utah: Passing: Terrance Cain, 17-24, 174 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Eddie Wide, 17-111, 1 TD, Receiving: Jereme Brooks, 6-49 
What It All Means: The Utes committed ten penalties, managed just 327 yards of total offense, and held on to the ball for just 25:16, and still won easily thanks to a big first half capped off with an interception return for a touchdown from Robert Johnson. It was an ugly enough performance to force the team to focus a little harder, but it was still a 20-point conference victory on the road. Up next is a nice three-game homestand against Air Force, Wyoming, and New Mexico to boost up the conference record.

Oct. 10
Utah 24 … at Colorado State 17
Utah scored 21 unanswered points in the second half with Eddie Wide running for a one-yard score to tie the game and catching an eight-yard pass to win it. Colorado State held a 17-3 lead helped by a 36-yard Dion Morton touchdown catch in the third, but Utah answered less than 40 seconds later on a 47-yard David Reed touchdown catch.
Player of the Game: Utah WR David Reed caught nine passes for 140 yards and a score.
Colorado State: Passing: Grant Stucker, 12-24, 184 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Leonard Mason, 24-130, 1 TD, Receiving: Dion Morton, 5-106, 1 TD
Utah: Passing: Terrance Cain, 24-32, 248 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Eddie Wide, 17-102, 1 TD, Receiving: David Reed 9-140, 1 TD
What It All Means: Utah might not be as good as it was last year, but it’s finding ways to get the job done. The offense took a while to get the machine going, failing to score a touchdown until there was 4:17 left in the game, but Terrance Cain threw the ball well, kept the chains moving, and ran well with 71 yards on 15 carries. The defense has been terrific since getting rumbled on by Oregon, and it should be able to shut down UNLV next week. RB Eddie Wide, who ran for 102 yards against CSU, should be a threat for 200 yards against the Rebels.

Sept. 26
at Utah 30 … Louisville 14
Utah got two Terrance Cain touchdown passes including a 42-yarder to David Reed and a 34-yarder to Jereme Brooks, but the offense suffered a huge loss when Matt Asiata got knocked out for the year with a knee injury after running for a 24-yard touchdown. Louisville was down 20-0 after the first half before Justin Burke ran for an eight-yard score and Cameron Graham caught a 16-yard touchdown pass to make it interesting, but the Utah balanced offense was too much to overcome and the defense shut down the Cardinal attack.
Player of the Game: Utah QB Terrance Cain completed 17-of-22 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and he ran 14 times for 51 yards.
Louisville: Passing: Justin Burke, 15-33, 181 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Bilal Powell, 10-25, Receiving: Scott Long, 6-61
Utah: Passing: Terrance Cain, 17-22, 202 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Eddie Wide, 19-129, Receiving: David Reed, 6-78, 1 TD
What It All Means: Just when the Utes appeared to be getting back on track and with a nice win over Louisville before diving into Mountain West play, it lost its star, Matt Asiata. The Mountain West’s leading rusher takes away a brusing element to the Ute attack that now has to be filled by more passing from Terrance Cain and more running from Eddie Wise. Cain doesn’t have to take any big chances, but he has to be as efficient and as accurate as he was against the Cardinals. The defense is doing its part, especially against the pass, and now it’ll have to do even more. 

Sept. 19
at Oregon 31 … Utah 24
It wasn’t pretty, but Oregon ended the nation’s longest winning streak at 16 games thanks to a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown from Walter Thurmond early in the first quarter and helped by a career-day from LaMichael James. James ran for 152 yards with a three-yard touchdown to help overcome a pathetic day from Jeremiah Masoli and the Duck passing game. Masoli ran for scores from 22 and four yards out, but he only completed 4-of-16 passes. Utah, down 21-7, rallied with a 22-yard touchdown catch from Jereme Brooks and a 28-yard fumble return for a score from Robert Johnson, but Oregon was able to put the game away with a 31-yard Morgan Flint field goal and held on with a John Boyett interception on the five in the final moments..
Player of the Game: Oregon RB LaMichael James ran 27 times for 152 yards and a score and caught a pass for three yards.
Oregon: Passing: Jeremiah Masoli, 4-16, 95 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: LaMichael James, 27-152, 1 TD, Receiving: Jeffrey Maehl, 1-58
Utah: Passing: Terrance Cain, 20-41, 178 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Terrance Cain, 16-68, 1 TD, Receiving: David Reed, 5-48
What It All Means: The Utes didn’t play all that well over the first two weeks against Utah State and San Jose State, and it was all but begging to get tagged by a solid defense. Terrance Cain ran well, but he was way too inconsistent throwing the ball. Matt Asiata was decent running the ball, but the attack was way too one-dimensional relying way too much on Cain. With Louisville up next, the Utes get one more tune-up before starting the Mountain West season at Colorado State. Ball security will be a must over the next few weeks, but a more accurate Cain would be better.

Sept. 12
Utah 24 ... at San Jose State 14
Utah got a big push from a game San Jose State, needing 17 fourth quarter points to put the game away. Jereme Brooks took off for a 51-yard scoring run early in the fourth to give the Utes the lead for good, and Eddie Wide all but put it away with a  15-yard scoring dash. San Jose State kept the head on with a Marquis Avery one-yard scoring catch, but the Utes were able to breathe easily with a field goal in the final seconds. The two teams combined for 18 penalties.
Player of the Game: Utah QB Terrance Cain completed 18-of-31 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown, and he ran ten times for 69 yards.
San Jose State: Passing: Jordan La Secla, 22-34, 269 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Rutley, 2-10, Receiving: Kevin Jurovich, 8-146
Utah: Passing: Terrance Cain, 18-31, 248, 1 TD
Rushing: Matt Asiata, 20-94, 1 TD, Receiving: Jereme Brooks, 5-98, 1 TD
What It All Means: Utah is sputtering and struggling, at least compared to last season, but it's still winning with its 16th straight. The running game was solid, rushing for 251 yards, and the run defense was fantastic, but the yards aren't translating into enough points. There are too many mistakes, with 11 penalties and two key turnovers against the Spartans, and with Oregon up next, being sharper will be vital.

Sept. 3
at Utah 35 … Utah State 17
Utah kept the nation’s longest winning streak going with its 15th straight thanks to a decent game from new QB Terrance Cain and a huge day from RB Matt Asiata. Utah dominated the overmatched Aggies, outgaining them 519 yards to 342, but Utah State, in head coach Dave Christensen’s debut, got a 96-yard touchdown run from Robert Turbin in the first quarter and a two-yard Diondre Borel late in the first half to keep it close. And then the Utes took over controlling the game on the ground and keeping Borel off the field. Utah State didn’t score in the second half.
Player of the Game: Utah RB Matt Asiata ran 36 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns, and caught two passes for 17 yards.
Utah State: Passing: Diondre Borel, 10-26, 121 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Robert Turbin, 13-148, 1 TD, Receiving: Stanley Morrison, 3-57
Utah: Passing: Terrance Cain, 20-30, 286 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Matt Asiata, 36-156, 2 TD, Receiving: David Reed, 10-172, 1 TD
What It All Means: While this wasn’t the dominating win on the scoreboard that Utah might have wanted, it controlled the game outside of the 96-yard Robert Turbin touchdown run. Terrance Cain did what he needed to do, avoiding the big mistakes, while Matt Asiata was the steadying force needed for the attack. However, he’ll wear down in a big hurry if he’s touching the ball close to 40 times per game. Eddie Wide, and others, have to take away some of the load. Remember, last year’s Utah didn’t didn’t always win games by huge scores.