With a bye week after its 30-14 win over the Cardinals at home, the defense has had time to work on making that kind of performance a consistent one, as it prepares for its first conference test of the season.

Colorado State has yet to lose three straight games under the helm of head coach Steve Fairchild, a trend the Utes will look to reverse in this weekend's Mountain West Conference matchup.

On the streets of South Central Los Angeles, it's not uncommon to see teenagers in handcuffs, as many get wrapped up in gang crime early in their lives. For a young kid just trying to find a way through it all, getting out unharmed doesn't always seem like a realistic possibility.

Injury Update

The bye week came at just the right time for the Utes, who got hit by the injury bug in their game against Louisville before the break. Four starters (Matt Asiata, Zane Beadles, Lei Talamaivao and Joe Dale) were forced to leave the game against the Cardinals because of injuries, including a season-ending knee injury to Asiata, who had surgery Monday to repair his torn ACL.

The BCS should've been disbanded a long time ago and college football, like the rest of the competitive world, should be working on a playoff-style system.

Although the Utes got the win over Louisville on Saturday night, it came at a cost. Four Utah starters were forced to leave the game because of injuries, including offensive starters Matt Asiata and Zane Beadles and defensive starters Joe Dale and Lei Talamaivao.

The Utes got back to their winning ways this weekend after sending the Louisville Cardinals back to Kentucky with their second straight loss.

This week, the Utes performed like a different team8212;the one fans watched all throughout the 2008 season. They looked like a team of experienced athletes, not a group of individual players and meshing newcomers.

Senior running back Matt Asiata is out for the year after sustaining a season-ending knee injury when he tore his ACL playing against Louisville on Saturday.

The Utes' loss to Oregon last week at Autzen Stadium devastated fans and players alike, as their 16-game winning streak came to a heartbreaking end.