First and 15
Having played more conference games than rival BYU, the Utes (5-0, 2-0) are currently sitting pretty at first in the Mountain West Conference.
Also, thanks to a weekend of incredible upsets in the Top 25, Utah is now the No. 15 team in the nation.
After the 37-21 victory over in-state rival Weber State on Saturday, the Utes are looking to head into a huge game Thursday night when Oregon State comes knocking on their door.
“It’s a week-to-week basis,” head coach Kyle Whittingham said, referring to his team’s current ranking. “We’re right where we want to be after five games. I don’t personally worry about the rankings. We just control what we can control.”
Quarterback Brian Johnson, who came off a superb performance against the Wildcats8212;missing only four throws out of 228212;voiced the same opinion as Whittingham regarding the ranking.
“We really don’t concern ourselves with that right now,” Johnson said. “The natural pecking order will continue to shake itself out throughout the course of the season. All we can do is focus on who we’re going to play week in and week out.”
“King” Louie strikes again
After becoming the leading scorer in Utah history during the Weber State victory, kicker/punter Louie Sakoda was named the MWC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week. With three field goals from 33, 47 and 38 yards out and adding in the four extra points he racked in, Sakoda surpassed a 76-year-old school record that was held by fullback Frank Christensen, who played from 1930 to 1932.
“Louie Sakoda had a very good outing,” Whittingham said. “So, there’s a positive there.”
This is Sakoda’s ninth honor of his career and second of the season. His first came in week one during Utah’s victory at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Sakoda is 10-for-12 this season in field goal attempts and perfect inside 40 yards.
Thursday night smackdown
With this being the first of two monumental Thursday night games this season8212;the other being the “blackout” game against TCU on Nov. 68212;the Utes will be ready for a quick turnaround with less than five days to prepare for a team that just knocked off the then-No. 1 team in the nation, USC.
“We have a big challenge ahead and a compressed amount of time to get ready,” Whittingham said. “It’s not new to us, but we’ve got to get a lot done in the next couple of days to be ready to compete.”
Last year, the Utes didn’t have a single Thursday night home game, and with two monumental platters in front of them at the dinner table, Utah is not looking for a let down, especially after its 5-0 start to this season.
“I like Thursday games,” Whittingham said. “I think it’s a good situation, particularly if you get on TV and play well. It’s good exposure for our program. I don’t like it when one team has five days to prepare and another has seven, but it is what it is.”
The one definite positive for the Utes is the spectrum upon which they will be sprawled out across the nation. The game is being shown on VERSUS. This will be the second time the Utes will be on national TV, the first being on ABC at Michigan.
The players and Whittingham like these games, particularly because the spotlight all over the country is shined brightly on them.
“To go out on a national stage and have the national mood, it’s just a great game for us,” said linebacker Stevenson Sylvester.
Along with this extremely shortened preparation for the Utes, the practice schedules over the next two days have pretty much gone haywire as opposed to your typical Utah prep weeks.
Whittingham explained the regimen his team will have over the next three days as “hybrid” days, combining the likes of traditional practice days with one another.
“Today is a hybrid day, a Tuesday/Wednesday combination,” Whittingham said. “We’ll have full meetings. Tomorrow will be a Wednesday/Thursday hybrid8212;this is when we would put on pads. Wednesday will be a Thursday/Friday day, usually Friday is a walk-through day. Game day is on Thursday and that will be similar to any other game day.”
Bring on dem’ Beavers
After Saturday’s win against Weber State and the traditional praising of the MUSS by the players, the MUSS sent back a message to its team with a constant chant of “Beat the Beavers!”
The No. 1 target will be miniscule Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers, who tormented the Trojans for 186 yards on a grueling 37 carries.
“Oh yeah, oh yeah, we figure we’re a great defense,” Sylvester said when asked if the Utah defense can corral Rodgers. “So we can do our jobs and shut him down.”
Leader and defensive tackle Greg Newman is expecting an intense showdown.
“I definitely think it’s going to be our biggest test to date,” Newman said.
Greg HarlowThe Utes will have a chance to play on national stage this week and Stevenson Sylvester is looking forward to the great game for the team.