The year was 19778212;the last time a blackout of this significance was on the national stage.
New York City, N.Y., was in the midst of a squelching summer inferno and thanks to a well-timed lightning storm, the city that doesn’t sleep was without power for two days.
It was one of the most infamous blackout in history. That is, until now.
The Big Apple sits 2,178 miles away from Salt Lake City and more importantly, the 9-0 Utes.
The No. 10 Utes put their unblemished mark on the line against a formidable foe.
Maybe too formidable.
No. 11 TCU and its petrifyingly fast defense knock at the door of Rice-Eccles Stadium in a matchup that will give the victor a giant step forward and leave an alarmingly big hole for the team absorbing the loss to fall into.
“TCU has no weaknesses and they are playing exceptional football in all three phases of the game,” said U head coach Kyle Whittingham. “They are leading the conference in several categories and doing a lot of good things. They are a confident football team and are playing well.”
So how do the Utes prepare for possibly the most important game in school history and of Whittingham’s career?
Drape themselves in jet black and hope this game will bring the kind of success that will ripple throughout the national college football scene.
“People want to see two good teams play, and that’s what we have this week,” said quarterback Brian Johnson. “You’ve got two good teams battling it out, and we’ll see who comes out on top.”
The Utes, who are coming off a less-than-impressive performance in Albuquerque, N.M., are retreading BYU’s footsteps, as BYU also played the Lobos the week before taking on the Horned Frogs. After the Cougars’ lackluster victory in Provo, they headed to Fort Worth, Texas, to face the No. 9 team in the nation.
They quickly became an afterthought in Bowl Championship Series discussions, getting smoked by TCU 32-7.
The forefront of the Utah game plan will be geared toward dealing with the TCU defense8212;something the Cougars failed to do.
The Utes are aware this will probably be the best defense they will face all season.
“They do some nice things defensively,” Johnson said. “They do a good job at getting after the quarterback. We’ll see what happens.”
While Johnson kept his thoughts on the humble side regarding the No. 2 overall defense, Whittingham had much more impressive words to say about TCU’s defense.
“They have great speed on defense, they are similar to an SEC defense, speed-wise,” Whittingham said. “Every aspect of their defensive core is strong. Pretty impressive.”
As Utah has struggled protecting Johnson this season, especially on blitzes, the offensive line has an amazing challenge ahead of it.
Defensive end Jerry Hughes, a former running back, leads the nation in sacks (14), tackles for loss (17) and forced fumbles (5).
“(Hughes) is a game changer and we have to account for him,” Whittingham said. “We have to devise a plan to handle him.”
Offensively, Utah has not been able to hit fifth gear all season. Aside from the notable 49-16 victory over Colorado State, the Utes have yet to channel the immensity of weapons and talent on offense into pure success.
How will the Utes handle potentially the best defense in the nation?
“I think you just gotta run right at them,” Johnson said. “It’s just going to be a battle of who wants it more.”
The Utes and Horned Frogs are on a quick turnaround for Thursday’s game. Last week, TCU was on the road at UNLV while Utah played at New Mexico. However, Utah does have one advantage in that it gets to return to its friendly confines.
“Being at home is a huge advantage for us whether we are in a short week or not,” Whittingham said. “We have a great fan base and it will be standing room only. That place will be packed.”
The TCU offense, though less notable than the defense, is still stellar and as talented as any in the Mountain West Conference. Averaging 36.6 points per game and well over 400 yards of total offense, the impressive Utah defense will have its hands full Thursday night as well.
“Their offense looks pretty good,” Johnson said. “Their offense plays against their defense and their defense is No. 1 right now. We just have to be to where we can show we can be the No. 1 defense.”
This will be the first ranked team the Utes have faced all season. This will be TCU’s third after the team took on former No. 1 Oklahoma and former No. 9 BYU.
There has not been a game this season outside of the Big 12 or SEC with so many BCS implications.
“Everything is on the line every week of the season,” Whittingham said.
The words of Utah’s coach continue to echo the team’s motto this season, but the “Blackout” brings a heightened sense of anticipation.
While a blackout is described in the dictionary as “a temporary loss of consciousness,” Utah fans can only hope the frigid, black-themed night induces the Horned Frogs into a deep sleep of calamity.
Speculation is the Utah players will be wearing black jerseys for the Blackout game. The rumors were fuelled by EA Sports NCAA 09 Football because in the game the Utes have an alternate black jersey.