Coach Kyle Whittingham's Weekly Press Conference and Official Release

Opening statement:
Looking back at last week, I thought it was a positive opener. We did a lot of good things. The offense was efficient in general. We did make some errors and turned the ball over three times. We have to correct that - you are not going to win a lot of games that way. The goal line stand was disappointing. We have to be more physical in that situation. Good effort on defense - we made some mistakes and didn't tackle as well as we should have. Mental mistakes led to some big plays. We have to continue to work to correct these problems and get better. The best aspect of the game was our special teams. The kicking game was good and the coverage was good. I am really pleased relative to the experience we have in special teams. All of our guys are new and for them to come out and put in a solid performance on opening night is encouraging.

San Jose State is coming off a tough loss. To go into the Coliseum and play USC is a tall order for anyone. They were ahead 3-0 after one quarter, but it went downhill after that. We don't put a lot of stock in that, we prepare and approach the game the same way and do our thing. Kyle Reed is a good athlete and they have a good tailback. Their front guys on defense are all very good. We have to show up and play consistent football, make plays, and correct things we are deficient at.

On Koa Misi:
He had a limited practice yesterday and what he did do, he was fine. He showed no ill effects or any setbacks and we are counting on him playing.

On playing on the road:
We have the same routine each and every week. That's a relative statement - short weeks or long weeks can vary some of the preparation. We have all the same routines and do all the same meetings. We take care of practice on Friday before we get on the plane, then we get there, have dinner and a movie and relax. I can't attribute our success on the road to any one thing, it's just the way the guys prepare in general.

On Terrance Cain:
Terrance was solid. He did have an interception on a deflected ball, which was an unfortunate situation. What we need to do is continue to get him playing the way we did on Thursday as far as pocket poise, decision-making and getting him a little more involved in the run game. You saw a taste of that against Utah State. That will be more a part of the game plan as the season goes on. We have to be careful and smart about how to handle it. He is an exceptionally fast kid and we want to make sure we build on that. There are a lot of good qualities in his game. We will present a little more of the offense to him each week and keep building on that.

On the Mountain West Conference:
To have two Big 12 wins is very positive. I think it's added testimony for the strength of the MWC, for where we need to be and where we're trying to get. It was a good start for the conference in week one. You build your case on the field week-to-week and season-to-season. We have to keep going out and playing well, particularly in higher profile games.

On San Jose State head coach Dick Tomey:
His teams are very well coached. He is one of the best in the business. Look at his track record in Hawaii. I had the benefit of learning a great deal of his philosophies through Coach (Ron) McBride. He hung on to a lot of what Tomey did and brought a lot of that to Utah, particularly in the recruiting area. I have the utmost respect for him. The players believe in him. He is the epitome of a players' coach - they love him and consequently perform for him.

Press Release:
Click here for Complete Version (.PDF)

> No. 17 Utah (1-0, 0-0 MWC) plays San Jose State (0-1, 0-0 WAC) in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 12. Game time is 7:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. MT) in Spartan Stadium. The game will be televised live on ESPNU. Radio is KALL 700 AM (kall700sports.com).

> Utah owns the longest current win streak (15 games) and bowl win streak (eight games) in the nation.

> Utah's 15-game win streak is the third-longest in school history. The Utes won 16 straight games from Nov. 29, 1928-Nov. 27, 1930 and a school-record 18 consecutive games from Nov. 1, 2003-Sept. 10, 2005.

> Utah also puts the second-longest road/neutral win streak in school history on the line at San Jose State. The Utes have won their last eight games away from home, dating back to Dec. 20, 2007. The school record is 11 straight road/neutral wins, set from Sept. 27, 2003-Jan. 1, 2005.

> David Reed's 253 all-purpose yards against Utah State was the second-best total in the nation last week. In addition, his 10 receptions ranked fourth, and his 172 receiving yards sixth nationally. Matt Asiata's 156 yards rushing yards was the country's sixth-best total last week, and his and Reed's yardage led in the conference in their respective categories.

> Utah is facing its second Western Athletic Conference foe in as many weeks. The Utes beat Utah State 35-17 last Thursday.

> Utah, which leads the series 4-1, has not played San Jose State since its final year as a member of the WAC in 1998. That game was a 49-17 Ute win in Spartan Stadium. For more on the series, see the boxed inset on page 2.

> Utah has 27 players on its roster from California, including senior defensive tackle Kenape Eliapo of nearby San Francisco (South San Francisco HS). Eliapo's younger brother Ailao is a starting offensive guard for San Jose State.

> Utah is 2-2 all-time in games played on Sept. 12. The last time Utah played on Sept. 12 was a 1998 win over Louisville in the first game played in Rice-Eccles Stadium.

UtahUtes.com

Week 1 Rankings

The 3 ranked Mountain West Conference teams (BYU, TCU, and Utah) moved up the ladder in the Top 25 this week. BYU, on the heels of their victory over previously 3rd ranked Oklahoma, made the largest jump (11 spots to #9 in the AP Poll and 12 spots to #12 in the Coaches Poll). The Utes moved up 2 spots in the AP and 1 spot in the Coaches to #17 in both. TCU, without even playing a game last weekend, moved up 1 spot in both polls to #16. Air Force and Colorado State also received 4 votes each, putting them approximately at 41st in the AP. Oregon, whom the Utes play in 2 weeks, dropped out of the Top 25 in both polls.

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS	PVS
1	Florida (56)	1-0	1493	1
2	Texas (2)	1-0	1424	2
3	USC	1-0	1355	4
4	Alabama (2)	1-0	1331	5
5	Oklahoma State	1-0	1201	9
6	Mississippi	1-0	1095	8
7	Penn State	1-0	1082	9
8	Ohio State	1-0	985	6
9	Brigham Young	1-0	984	20
10	California	1-0	971	12
11	LSU	1-0	890	11
12	Boise State	1-0	882	14
13	Oklahoma	0-1	782	3
14	Virginia Tech	0-1	652	7
15	Georgia Tech	1-0	630	15
16	TCU	0-0	523	17
17	Utah	1-0	404	19
18	Notre Dame	1-0	383	23
19	North Carolina	1-0	338	21
20	Miami (FL)	1-0	315	NR
21	Georgia	0-1	294	13
22	Nebraska	1-0	266	24
23	Cincinnati	1-0	248	NR
24	Kansas	1-0	196	25
25	Missouri	1-0	126	NR

Dropped from rankings: Oregon 16, Florida State 18, Iowa 22

Others receiving votes: Oregon State 113, Michigan State 83, Pittsburgh 82, Texas Tech 53, Oregon 47, Clemson 40, Florida State 39, West Virginia 32, Tennessee 30, Iowa 24, Michigan 18, UCLA 18, Baylor 17, Boston College 14, Arizona 12, East Carolina 6, Air Force 4, Auburn 4, Colorado State 4, Arkansas 3, South Carolina 3, South Florida 1, Southern Miss 1, Tulsa 1, Houston 1

USA Today Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS	PVS
1	Florida (56)	1-0	1472	1
2	Texas (2)	1-0	1407	2
3	USC (1)	1-0	1352	4
4	Alabama	1-0	1299	5
5	Penn State	1-0	1145	8
6	Oklahoma State	1-0	1114	11
7	Ohio State	1-0	1106	6
8	Mississippi	1-0	1006	10
9	LSU	1-0	977	9
10	California	1-0	935	12
11	Boise State	1-0	803	16
12	Brigham Young	1-0	755	24
13	Georgia Tech	1-0	685	15
14	Oklahoma	0-1	682	3
15	Virginia Tech	0-1	633	7
16	TCU	0-0	543	17
17	Utah	1-0	503	18
18	Nebraska	1-0	360	22
19	North Carolina	1-0	358	20
20	Notre Dame	1-0	335	23
21	Georgia	0-1	304	13
22	Miami (FL)	1-0	276	NR
23	Cincinnati	1-0	187	NR
24	Oregon State	1-0	169	25
25	Kansas	1-0	139	NR

Dropped from rankings: Oregon 14, Florida State 19, Iowa 21

Others receiving votes: Michigan State 133, Missouri 97, Iowa 70, Florida State 62, Texas Tech 53, Oregon 50, Pittsburgh 26, Clemson 24, South Carolina 23, Tennessee 21, West Virginia 13, Auburn 13, South Florida 12, Kentucky 8, Arizona 5, Michigan 4, Northwestern 4, Boston College 3, Arkansas 2, Baylor 2, UCLA 2, Tulsa 1, Colorado State 1, Minnesota 1

Get to Know the Enemy

This week's opponent: San Jose State University

• Location: Downtown San Jose, California
• Established: 1857
• Enrollment: 28,932

Interesting Facts about the University:

• It is believed to be the oldest University on the West Coast
• Originally founded as the first "California State Normal School" in San Francisco and moved to San Jose in 1871
• In 1881, the first branch of this school was formed in Los Angeles and is now known as UCLA
• The first criminal justice degree program in the United States originated at San Jose State in 1930
• The official name San Jose State has been in use since 1974

San Jose State Athletics

• Nickname: Spartans
• Colors: Blue and Gold
• Mascot: Sammy Spartan
• Song: Hail Spartans Hail
• Conference: WAC
• First athletic event was a baseball game in 1890
• National Championships in Track and Field, Golf, and Boxing
• Has more team National Championships (10) and individual National Championships (50) than any other WAC school
• Internationally recognized judo program has won 42 out of the last 46 National Championships
• San Jose State alumni have won 18 Olympic medals (7 gold)
• John Carlos and Tommie Smith, activist sprinters at the 1968 Mexico City Games, trained at San Jose State

Football Program

• Stadium: Spartan Stadium. Built: 1933. Capacity: 30,456
• Head Coach: Dick Tomey
• First team was fielded in 1893
• 16 Conference Championships (California Collegiate Athletic Association, Big West)
• Rivals: Fresno State (33-37-3) and Stanford (14-48-1)
• Last Bowl Win: 2006 New Mexico Bowl (defeated New Mexico 20-12)
• Notable Football Alumni: Bill Walsh, Dick Vermeil, Gill Byrd, John Broussard, Jeff Garcia, Joe Nedney

State of the Conference

It was a great weekend for the conference with a pair of big upsets, wins in games that were supposed to be wins, and only a couple losses. Overall the conference went 6-2, and 2-2 vs. BCS teams. Here are the weekend's conference scores and analysis:




Air Force (1-0) - 72
Nicholls State (0-1) - 0



Easy win for the falcons. As usual, they did the bulk of their damage on the ground, racking up 474 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns. The defense held Nicholls State to only 151 total yards as compared to Air Force's 576. If anything, the huge score itself turned some heads.



#20 BYU (1-0) - 14
#3 Oklahoma (0-1) - 13



A lot has been said about this game already. Bottom line is BYU pulled out the win and Oklahoma is left reeling without Sam Bradford and a loss. Overall this was a very sloppy win for the Cougars and both teams didn't play exceptionally well. A combined 22 penalties for 180 yards and 6 turnovers dominated the game, but BYU made just enough plays and avoided just enough mistakes to come out on top.





Colorado State (1-0) - 23
Colorado (0-1) - 17





Outside of the BYU win, this was the biggest shocker for the conference. The game was not as close as the score indicated. Colorado State jumped out to an early 20-3 halftime lead. The story of the game was the Ram's run defense, holding the Buffaloes to only 29 yards. Undoubtedly this is a huge confidence booster for the Rams and another big win for the conference over a Big 12 foe.





UNLV (1-0) - 38
Sacramento St. (0-1) - 3






This could be the year the Rebels make a move up the conference ladder. They got the year started off right with a victory against FCS opponent Sacramento State. Rebel RB Channing Trotter rushed for 3 scores and the Rebel defense held the Hornets to only 228 total yards.





Wyoming (1-0) - 29
Weber State (0-1) - 22






The Cowboys pulled out a win before next weeks showdown with #2 Texas in Laramie. Colt McCoy must be salivating, figuring Wyoming gave up 322 passing yards to the FCS Wildcats. Wyoming did pile up 246 rushing yards and 434 yards of total offense. There is a lot to work on for the Cowboys this week to make next weekend's game respectable.




Texas A&M (1-0) - 41
New Mexico (0-1) - 6



The 77,887 fans at Kyle Field in College Station provided new Lobo coach Mike Locksley and his team with a rude awakening. The Aggies compiled 606 yard of offense and only allowed 2 Lobo field goals. There weren't a whole lot of positives for New Mexico to take from this game. They only committed 3 penalties in a hostile environment and did gain some quality experience for a team with only 17 seniors and 42 freshman on its roster.



UCLA (1-0) - 33
San Diego State (0-1) - 14



The Aztecs were unable to capitalize on a wildfire-like hot start that had them leading 14-3 near the end of the first quarter of this game which was nearly postponed due to local wildfires. The Bruins closed the game with 30 unanswered points and left new Aztec coach Brady Hoke with some unanswered questions of his own. A rushing attack that only tallied 39 yards and 3 interceptions doomed San Diego.

BYU Win's Implications on the Utes and the Mountain West

We get it. Sam Bradford didn't play the second half and the game might have ended differently had Oklahoma had their Heisman winning quarterback in there, but that's not the point. The point is BYU won the game and this is another large dent in the BCS machine. No matter which way you spin it, #20 BYU's shocking 14-13 win over #3 Oklahoma was huge. Obviously this game's outcome has massive implications on a national level, but what are the implications regarding the Mountain West and the Utes?

1. They proved that there is legitimate football played in the Mountain West Conference. With Utah, TCU, and BYU all in the preseason Top 20, the pieces were put into place for these teams to make some serious noise. This game was supposed to be an example that the MWC didn't belong. Give BYU the credit they deserve. Even with Bradford in the game for pretty much the entire first half, they only trailed by 3, and could have been leading if not for some costly turnovers. Max Hall arguably outplayed Bradford before he was injured and BYU's defense was surprisingly very stifling. BYU looked like they not only belonged playing with Oklahoma, but arguably looked like the better team.

2. They validated Utah's Sugar Bowl win. Utah ended last season knocking off Alabama and BYU started this season knocking off Oklahoma. If anyone thought Utah's win was a fluke, they now have to answer to BYU's win. That's two Top 5 teams falling to the Mountain West in a row. In fact Bob Stoops is 0-3 all time against the Mountain West. If BYU can handle Oklahoma and Utah can handle Alabama, how can you justify Utah not being in the National Championship Game last year and what they have accomplished? It will be harder and harder for the BCS elite to ignore the facts.

3. If a Mountain West team goes undefeated, they have a solid case to be considered for this year's National Championship Game, especially after the Utes got snubbed last year. If such a team accomplishes the feat, they will have had to beat both other ranked teams in conference (TCU, BYU, or Utah), and both wins would be against potential Top 10 teams. Utah paved the way last year and we may very well see a team from the MWC sneak in the back door if #2 Texas or #1 Florida loses this year.

4. With the ACC's and Big East's lack of competitiveness, the Mountain West may very well be the 4th best conference in the country this season, and a case could be made the PAC-10 as a whole is beneath the MWC as well. We could actually see a 1 loss Mountain West team accepted to a BCS Bowl. And if Boise State at least shows up for the rest of the season and goes undefeated, we may see two non-BCS teams play in BCS bowls, in the same season, for the first time.

The national media will likely blame this loss on Bradford's injury (It's already a bigger story then Oklahoma losing) and ignore the fact BYU won. In fact, BYU might not even jump that high in the polls since the game was so sloppy and both teams didn't play exceptionally well. But this win was huge for the conference and should raise awareness about the quality of football played in the mountains.


Photos: Deseret News

Utah/Utah State Grades

Offense: B

The Utes were playing a Utah State defense so it's hard to gauge how good they really were. For the most part I was impressed with Terrance Cain. He missed a few deep balls (some should have been caught although he consistently threw a little high), but he was fairly on-the-money on his short slants and receiver screens. I think his job will be to just distribute the ball to the play makers and let them work, not to do anything overly spectacular. His interception wasn't really his fault as the receiver tipped the ball up. I can live with 20-30 for 286 yards from a first time starter, even if it was against Utah State. He didn’t blow anybody away, but he was solid and did what was expected.

David Reed is a beast, he'll be the go-to guy this year. I was a little worried Cain was singling him out (a la Max Hall and Collie), but Reed was playing the slot and had a linebacker or safety on him all night, so he was open (Cain agreed in his post game interview). When he's open so much, he gets the ball, and that's a good thing so I'm not too worried about it. He had 10 catches for 172 yards and a 65 yard touchdown; nice game.

Matt Asiata played great, 36 carries for 156 yards and a pair of touchdowns. I don’t think he will get that many carries in most games, but the Utes were breaking in the new QB so it was to be expected he would get a lot of touches. Overall he looked a bit quicker and a lot more elusive, figuring he did drop about 20 pounds in the offseason.

Overall the offense played well, compiling a total of 519 yards. The goal line stand was a disaster, that should never happen against Utah State. I'd like to blame that 4th down failure on the play calling though. QB sneak? Give the ball to Asiata and let him do what he does down there. He can find the hole better than Cain and I believe he would have put the ball across the goal line. The turnovers need to be cleaned up (I assume the Asiata and Reed fumbles will be more the exception then the rule). Against Utah State a team can get away with these turnovers, but against better teams that won't be the case.


Defense: B-

A 96 yard touchdown run! Really? Against Utah State? I'll hand it to their back Robert Turbin, that guy has some speed (Our corners are 4.3 guys and couldn't catch him), but that hole was wide enough that it made Moses' parting of the Red Sea seem insignificant. I understand the theory to stack the box and blitz when you have a team backed up to the 3 yard line, but somebody has to stay home. It was a blatant breakdown by the safeties and they paid the price. That will be fixed.

The opening drive was pretty sloppy, a couple of big plays had the Aggies downfield rather quickly. Luckily after that the defense stiffened up and held them to only a field goal. If it weren't for some big plays and mental lapses the defense played pretty well overall. I am kind of torn on giving them a B- because I think overall they played a decent game. They gave up the one long TD run and the big pass play, but other than that the defense was stout and didn’t allow a lot of yards (Those 2 plays accounted for about half the Aggie offense). The other touchdown Utah State scored was after the interception and on a short field, so really no fault on the defense there. So take away the run and the short field and the Aggies possibly only score 3 points. But it's Utah State, albeit an improved Utah State, and giving up 17 points gets you a B-.

The defensive line got a lot of pressure on Diondre Borel forcing him to scramble, but there were a couple of times he got out of sacks and picked up positive yards running. The safety at the end of the game provided a nice exclamation point on the overall defensive pressure. The tackling needs to be a little tighter and disciplined as was evident on several open field misses. Give credit to Borel and Turbin though, they ran well, and both were fast and extremely shifty. The linebackers played satisfactory, nothing extraordinary but they got the job done and disrupted well on blitzes. I felt the corners played lock-down defense excellently. Now of course Borel isn't known for his arm, but holding anyone to 10-26 for 121 yards, and forcing an interception, will help win games. Holding the Aggies to 0-12 on third down was a huge accomplishment as well.


Special Teams: A-

Louie who? Okay so he's not that easily replaceable, but the kicking game looked solid. Ben Vroman was 1-1 on a 44 yarder (with 10-20 yards to spare) and perfect on extra points. Vroman has been kicking off for the past 2 years so that was nothing new for him. He only had 1 touchback which is well under his average, but we know what he is capable of so no worries there. Freshman Sean Sellwood averaged 46.8 yards on 4 punts and had great hang time. He placed a couple inside the 20, but did put one into the back of the end zone.

The Utes coverage was good. The blocked punt was great and resulted in a safety. On a couple kickoff returns the Aggies didn't even get the ball back out to the 20, so the kickoff coverage team has some great speed. The Utes kickoff returns were okay; nothing spectacular but they allowed for decent field position. Freshman Luke Matthews had a good punt return of 38 yards, but he put the ball on the ground twice. One ball he just didn’t catch and it rolled out of bounds, the other just fell right out of his hands while running after the catch. Because the Utes didn’t turn it over, we'll stick with the A-. If one of those is a turnover, that grade drops significantly. Definitely some clean up work there.


Overall: B

Overall I believe this game unfolded just about as expected. The Utes got the first game jitters out of the way for a lot of new players and they did what they had to in order to get the win. The combination of Utah's new players and coordinators and a notably improved Aggie team narrowed the gap in the score. Of course, as with all football games, 2-3 plays swung the score significantly. If the Utes score on the goal line and don't give up the big run, we are looking at 42-10, and that's not discounting the interception that put the Aggies close to the end zone. Although the game stagnated around a two possession game for most of the second half, I never got the feeling the victory for the Utes was in jeopardy. All in all, some unknowns turned out well (Terrance Cain, kicking game, DB's) and there were definitely areas to be worked on (big plays, turnovers, Utah State's goal line stand).

Recap
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Photos: Deseret News.