After a week of speculation as to who would be under center for the Utes, true freshman Jordan Wynn stepped onto the field Saturday and showed he deserved the starting job, helping to beat the Lobos 45-14.
The Utes put together their most complete offensive performance of the season Saturday night and set themselves up for a head-to-head matchup with TCU next week that will likely decide the conference.
“I had a little bit of nerves at first,” Wynn said. “But that’s about it. I wouldn’t say (I was) nervous, but there were some butterflies and excitement. But as soon as I got out there, it was just about going through my progressions and my reads.”
Wynn finished the night 18-for-29 for 297 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The California native became the first true freshman to start a game for the Utes as quarterback since 1982, and he led Utah to its strongest offensive performance of 2009.
Utah set season highs in both total offense and points. The Utes finished the night with a season-high 557 yards of total offense. Saturday was the first time this season the Utes broke the 40-point barrier and did so thanks to impressive performances from not only Wynn but also wideout Jereme Brooks and running backs Eddie Wide and Sausan Shakerin.
“Eddie (Wide) and “Shak’ both had great days,” said captain Zane Beadles. “We haven’t rushed the ball the last few weeks the way we want to. But they both had great days, and they’re guys we love blocking for.”
Wide and Shakerin each finished with more than 100 yards in rushing and set career highs in rushing yards, with 145 and 101 yards, respectively. Both Wide and Shakerin were able to find the end zone not once, but twice.
Wide and Shakerin weren’t the only Utes to get two scores on the night. Brooks had a career night as well8212;hauling in six catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Brooks’ first touchdown came on a 69-yard connection from Wynn, which put the Utes up 7-0 in the first quarter. Brooks found the end zone again in the third quarter when he ran a reverse 29 yards for the score. The two touchdowns brought Brooks’ season total to six.
“Jereme Brooks had a good game,” said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. “He’s a talented guy. David (Reed) is our go-to guy, and Jereme is the next up, and tonight (Brooks) did some good things, and Jordan found him.”
In the second half, Wynn looked like a seasoned veteran as he led the Utes on three drives that ended in touchdowns in the third quarter alone.
“(Wynn) made a few mistakes there early on,” Beadles said. “But that’s something you expect in his first collegiate start. He’s a guy that will never let a mistake happen twice. He corrects what he does, and he did that and did a good job for us.”
Although it was difficult after to bench former starter Terrance Cain, Whittingham said he knew that it was a choice that had to be made if the Utes were to challenge No. 6-ranked TCU for the Mountain West Conference Championship.
“It was a gamble to make a move like that,” Whittingham said. “But in my estimation, it’s a bigger gamble to see something you think can be improved upon and not make that move.”
For the third straight week, the Utah defense stepped up and allowed only one score in the final half of play. The defense held New Mexico to 82 yards total rushing and managed to pick off Lobo quarterback Donovan Porterie twice in the second half.
“In the second half we played like we wanted to play,” said linebacker Stevenson Sylvester.
“We came out with a touchdown on offense, and from a defensive perspective we knew we needed to get the ball back, and that’s exactly what we did.”
With New Mexico out of the way, the Utes now turn their attention to TCU, which is unbeaten in 2009 and the front-runner to win the MWC.
“Overall, we did what we should have done,” Whittingham said. “We won the football game, and we got a big one coming up this week, and we’ll need to be ready. It’s a heck of a football team we will be playing Saturday night, and we need to be ready.”
All eyes will be on Wynn next week when the Utes travel to Fort Worth, not only because it will be his first road test, but also because the true freshman will try to operate against one of the nation’s top defenses with only one start under his belt.
“I’m ready,” Wynn said. “I’m going to be watching film all week, and I’m just going to go out and play. I’m not scared, I’m ready.”
Mike Magnum/The Daily Utah Chronicle