Before the start of the season, Utah’s matchup with Louisville was regarded as its marquee game this year.
Although that might have changed a little bit in the public’s eye because of Utah’s disappointing 2-3 start and Louisville’s fall from the Top-25, the players still view the game to be their biggest.
“I’m extremely anxious,” Utah quarterback Brian Johnson said. “I’ve had this game circled on my calendar all year, so I’m excited to play and have a great game. It’s one of the biggest games I’ve played in. It’s a big game for us, and it’s a big game for the program to show everybody what we’re all about.”
Like Utah, the Cardinals have had a roller-coaster season. They began the season ranked 10th in the AP poll and climbed up to No. 8 following a pair of convincing wins.
But every roller coaster eventually hits a low point. Louisville’s came in the form of consecutive losses to Kentucky and Syracuse. Both of the defeats were close, but the Cardinals’ defense couldn’t pull it together when it mattered most, and the result was a clean drop out of the national rankings.
“Defensively, they’ve been a little up and down this year,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “They’ve given up quite a bit, some games, but they settled down and played a good football game last Saturday against NC State.”
One thing that has been consistent for the Cardinals is the offense, led by Heisman candidate Brian Brohm. The senior has passed an average of 389.6 yards and 3.3 touchdowns per game this season and ranks second in the nation in total passing yards. Brohm’s main target is speedy wide receiver Harry Douglas, who averages 169.8 receiving yards per game.
“It’s going to be hard to stop an offense that’s as good as they are, but we’re going to try to get Brian (Brohm) out of the pocket,” Utah defensive tackle Gabe Long said. “If he’s comfortable in there, he’s going to pick us apart. But if we can get some pressure on him, it’ll be a good game.”
Brohm faces a Utah pass defense that has proved solid thus far, but has yet to be tested with a dynamic aerial attack.
“They’ve played well so far this year, but there hasn’t been a challenge like the one (our defense has) got in front of them right now,” Whittingham said. “This team is in the top three or four in the nation in passing offense, so it’ll be interesting to see how this secondary responds.”
Complementing the Cardinals’ prolific passing attack is a bruising running game. Sophomore Anthony Allen (6-foot-1, 232 lbs.) leads the team from his tailback position, averaging 115.6 yards per game.
Louisville ranks second in the nation in total offense, averaging 595.4 yards per game.
So, with no obvious flaws in the Louisville offense and an unproven Utah defense on his hands, just how does Whittingham plan to stop the Cardinals’ high-power attack?
“I don’t know if you try to stop it so much as you try to slow it down,” Whittingham said. “You just try to keep it from going crazy on you. The best place for their offense is on the sidelines, so the more time our offense is on the field, the more likely we are to win.”
The emergence of Darrell Mack at running back will surely help the Utes as they try to play ball control offense against the Cardinals.
Last week, the junior rushed the ball 26 times for a career-high 132 yards and a touchdown in a 34-18 win over Utah State. Whittingham expects Mack to take on a much larger role this week against Louisville.
“We will be giving them a heavy dosage of Darrell Mack this week,” Whittingham said.
If the Utes can’t control the clock, the Cardinals will likely do what they’ve done this entire season — score points in bunches. Then all Utah can do is try to keep up.
“They usually win shootouts,” Whittingham said. “That’s something that’s impossible to avoid sometimes when you’re playing an offense that’s as high-octane as they are. But the ideal situation for us is to not get into a shootout.”
The meeting is the first and only Utah game that will be televised on a major national network (ESPN), giving the Utes a chance to showcase their abilities for the masses.
“A win would be huge for this program,” Johnson said. “We’ve had one good win against a national powerhouse this year, so why not have another? They are a very talented group of guys, though, so we’ll definitely have our hands full.”