INSIDE SLANT

The silver lining that comes from being on the receiving end of a blowout in a big game is the motivation that comes out of it.

The Utes (8-2, 5-1 Mountain West Conference) still are smarting from their 55-28 loss to unbeaten TCU as they play host to San Diego State (4-6, 2-4) on Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium. No way Utah is looking past the Aztecs for its showdown with in-state rival Brigham Young, coach Kyle Whittingham said.

“It’s easy not to look ahead, especially when you come off a disappointing game,” Whittingham said. “All of our efforts this week are for San Diego State.”

Especially when the Utes surrendered an eye-popping 342 rushing yards to the Horned Frogs. Utah, which gave up only 99.2 yards per game on the ground in 2008, currently ranks 70th nationally with a 151.0 yards allowed.

That’s enough to put the Utes in a bad mood heading into the game against the Aztecs. They hope to rectify their play against the run and finish with one of the most successful seasons in team history—just behind their two unbeaten seasons in 2004 (12-0) and 2008 (13-0).

“More passion,” sophomore defensive tackle Lei Talamaivao told the Salt Lake Tribune.

“We never give up that much rushing yards; it’s just disappointing. We can finish this thing 11-2. This university hasn’t won 11 games that much, so we can still have a good year and we will have a good year. We just have to go back to the board and start strong.”

TCU’s 549 total yards was 215 more than Utah had allowed in any of its previous nine games of the season.

True freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn received a valuable lesson against one of the nation’s top defenses that he’ll be able to apply in his third career start this week against SDSU. Wynn threw an interception that was returned 15 yards for a touchdown against the Frogs. Whittingham said he liked that way Wynn battled to the end, leading the Utes to a score with 2:29 left when TCU had a 55-21 lead.

If the Utes have a point of emphasis this week, it’s on special teams. Utah had a punt blocked, fumbled a kickoff and allowed a long punt return. It has to shore up that unit to prevent the Aztecs from getting any momentum.

NOTES, QUOTES

• The Utes are looking to go undefeated at home for the second straight season. Overall, Utah is on a 16-game winning streak at Rice-Eccles Stadium, and its last loss came on Sept. 8, 2007, in a 20-12 loss to Air Force. Utah had another streak—a 13-game conference winning streak—snapped against TCU.

• Utah has been a vastly better team in the second halves of games this season. The Utes have outscored their foes by a combined 75 points in the second half and overtime this season. They’ve won the first-half battles by a combined 12 points.

Series History:   Utah leads San Diego State 15-12-1 (last meeting, 2008, 63-14 Utah)

Scouting The Offense:   True freshman QB Jordan Wynn won’t see a team with better speed than TCU’s defense, so that, combined with his third start should help slow the game down against SDSU. Aztecs defensive coordinator Rocky Long, however, has a unique scheme that is designed to confuse quarterbacks, and the Utes have to do a good job of preparing Wynn for all the angles at which the Aztecs will blitz and stunt. The Utes could ease the pressure on Wynn by getting back to the running game. RB Eddie Wide is banged up but still will look to get his customary 20 carries and 100 yards that was interrupted against the Horned Frogs last week.

Scouting The Defense:   San Diego State is last in the conference in rushing yards at 78.1 per game but have shown significant improvement in the last three weeks. The Utah defense, however, is angry. Look for the Utes to make a concerted effort to bottle the running attack and disrupt SDSU’s wideouts in their route-running. Utah, however, has been depleted on the defensive line, losing end Derrick Shelby to go along with the absence of nose tackle Kenape Eliapo. SDSU QB Ryan Lindley gets more confident the longer he has success without making mistakes. The Utes secondary can make him gun-shy if they’re able to get a couple of interceptions, especially early.

Quote To Note:   “As far as what they have accomplished on the field, they are undefeated in bowl play and had some great experiences there. They all also played in several different bowls. They won the MWC Championship last year. They are just a good group. Overall they have done a nice job leading the football team this year. This is a mature football team. When we have a loss, you evaluate it, learn from it, and put it behind you. We did a very good job of that after the Oregon game.”—Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, on his senior class.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

This Week  ‘S GAME: San Diego State at Utah, Nov. 21—The Utes have won five of six in the series, including three in a row. The combined score in those three wins is 128-28. The Aztecs stunned the Utes 28-19 in coach Kyle Whittingham’s first season in 2005. Utah had its way with SDSU last season with a 63-14 blowout.

Keys To The Game:   The Utes will face an angry SDSU team that blew a 21-point fourth-quarter lead last week against Wyoming. The Aztecs still have a chance to become bowl eligible by winning their last two games. If Utah can endure some early Aztecs momentum, it should be able to wear down SDSU with its edge in talent.

Players To Watch:  

WR David Reed—He leads the MWC and is tied for 14 nationally with a 93.0-yard average in receiving yards per game. He remains the Utes’ biggest threat to stretch the field and take advantage of SDSU’s increased man-coverage.

• FS Robert Johnson—He had a team-leading 10 tackles last week but has gone a few games without make a momentum-changing play. He could stop the SDSU offense in its tracks if he can make a play that turns the tide.

RBs Sausan Shakerin and Shaky Smithson—They have to help shoulder the running load this week to keep starter Eddie Wide from further wear. Shakerin had a 100-yard game two weeks ago against New Mexico and is capable of getting tough yards on the interior.

Roster Report:  

• Sophomore DE Derrick Shelby suffered an ACL tear in the first quarter against TCU last week and is gone for the season. Junior Nai Fotu will start in his place.

• Senior NT Kenape Eliapo has been ruled out for the next two weeks because of an eye injury, but Utah is cautiously optimistic that he could return for its bowl game.

• Special teams player Victor Spikes, a true freshman, has a hand injury that will not allow him to play against San Diego State.

• RB Matt Asiata is expected to decide this week whether he’ll apply for a medical redshirt and get a sixth year of eligibility. Asiata suffered a season-ending knee injury against Louisville on Sept. 26. He missed almost all of the 2007 season after breaking his leg in the opener against Oregon State.