The Truck That Ran Over UNC

The big red truck is rolling into Chapel Hill. On the side of the giant rig it reads the "“University of Utah Utes"”. What truck you ask? The big red one that ran over the UNC Tar Heels last season 46-16 and left the Tar Heels wounded and wondering "“Did anyone see the name on the truck that hit us?" Truth be known, this season'’s version of the big red truck is hardly the same as the one led by Alex Smith and Urban Meyer last season. In fact, UNC looks to be a better team than the squad that was bombed at Rice Eccles last season and Utah looks to be dangerous but doesn'’t seem to be capable of the same type of demolition.

The Tar Heels are solid where it matters most and the result is optimism abound. On offense they are getting big plays out of new starting quarterback, senior Matt Baker, and feature a dangerous tailback Barrington Edwards who is coming off a career high 129 yards. Perhaps the strength of their team is found in the trenches, with their offensive and defensive lines, two areas where they were dominated last season by the Utes. The Tar Heels, playing at home, are feeling confident and wanting to avenge last season'’s embarrassment.

In fact, revenge is sounding like the big motivator for UNC.

"They kept their foot on our throat," linebacker Tommy Richardson. "Even though they were in control of the game, they were passing a lot and running trick plays. I'm looking forward to this game."

"This team's always going to have fighters on it," wide receiver Jesse Holley says. "The head coach is a fighter, and he recruits fighters. This game with Utah is personal and it means something. We want to get back to .500. And we owe them."

Not wanting to burst the Carolina revenge bubble, but the spread offense doesn'’t just become "“un-spread"” because you have a lead. Utah was able to play many players off it'’s bench in the thrashing of Tar Heels last year and they could have run it up, which they did not. In fact the 46 points Utah scored last year was pretty much a typical scoring night for the high powered Utes who averaged 45.3 points per game last year. It even could be argued that Utah did in some way call off the dogs as the offense didn'’t score in the final 12 and half minutes. In fact, in only one other home game (Texas A&M) did Utah score fewer points (41). It is true that Utah set a UNC record for most yards allowed to an opponent of 669. UNC'’s offense was just as bad as their defense as they only mustered 221 yards. Was it Utah'’s fault that the ACC team probably over-looked the Utes? Was it Utah'’s fault that the ‘Heels probably thought the Ute offense was a gimmicky and finesse system prior to the game? Of course not on both counts. So apparantely it must be Utah'’s fault that they physically dominated the Tar Heels in a game in which 9 Tar Heels were injured and didn'’t let their opponent feel as though they had a chance. Memo to the Tar Heels, "“You were nothing special, the Utes destroyed every opponent last year." ” Actually some of the blame for last season's result could be shouldered by the UNC. If I remember correctly the Tar Heels had three players suspended for marijuana use the week of the Utah game, including a top receiver and a key defender.

So now forgetting the past, this year'’s Utes must show some toughness on the road. It would seem that Vegas believes Utah isn'’t ready to do that and has established UNC as a 3 ½ point favorite. To be honest, most of the talk is making this out to be a very tough game and not one that Utah will win.

How good is UNC? The Talk and The Truth

The Talk is that UNC has a strong and quick defense that has held up pretty well against some good competition. The Truth is that UNC is still giving up about 22 points per game, and while their opponents have been solid, none of them are offensive juggernauts (Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, NC State). Also, the supposedly improved defense has yet to make an interception in the first three games.

The Talk is that Matt Baker is a good QB and a great leader. The Truth is that he only has 4 TDs on the season and 5 Interceptions. He has made a couple big plays, including an 87-yard touchdown pass, but is still completing less than half his passes. Statistics show he is hardly the strenghth of their team.

The Talk is that UNC'’s offense is improved this season and starting to hit it'’s stride following a 31-24 victory over NC State. The Truth is that they are only averaging 19 points per game on the season and 9 of their 57 points were scored by their defense. Add to that another TD the offense scored after getting the ball inside the 5-yard line, and this low scoring team has had nearly 30% of their points resulting from their defense on the season.

Thinking about what will happen...

I think Utah is the probably the best team UNC has faced so far this season. If this game was in Salt Lake City, I'’d say Utah would win by 7-10 points. The fact this game is in North Carolina, and this Utah team hasn'’t yet cleared the road game hurdle, is what makes this game very close. You can argue that UNC is a faster team than Utah and better on the defensive line that the Utes, but you'’d have a hard time arguing the ‘Heels are better than Utah in any other area.

The Questions:

Can Utah limit UNC'’s running game better than they did at TCU this season?

Keeping UNC from grinding out long drives on their home field should be a key. Especially early on, as Utah'’s defense could get wore down late in the game if forced to stay on the field too much. Air Force also had similar rushing success early in the game against the Utes.

Can UNC mix it up enough on defense to confuse or slow down Brian Johnson?

TCU did this by getting Utah to expect blitzing, but then playing more zone coverage later in the game. Odds are that the same tactic won'’t work again against the quick learning Johnson. However, he hasn'’t been played enough to have seen it all yet. Also, if UNC can limit UtahÂ’s first down yardage and force the Utes to have 3^rd and long, they will put a lot of pressure on the Johnson, as Utah hasn'’t excelled on 3^rd down this season as they did last year.

The Outlook:

I think the odds makers have this game about right. I want to be wrong. But, I have a feeling that Utah will lose a close game in North Carolina. This will be Utah'’s first chance to surprise us this year and if they jumped up and bit the ‘Heels, it would be a huge step in the growth of this team. But, I'’m not sure they are ready for that step. I don'’t think they will walk away feeling like UNC was a better team, in fact, I'’d guess UNC won'’t even get the vindication they are seeking. The fact that this is a road game and not an easy trip on Utah will cause them to be less efficient than normal. Don't get me wrong, I don'’t expect Utah to make a lot of mistakes, but I think perhaps the big play will be missing this time around. UNC will run well enough to keep the tempo to their liking and eek out a victory 23-20.

Want to read more about the North Carolina Tar Heels? Visit the Tar Heel Blue website.

Want to know what a Tar Heel is? Here are two definitions I found:

(a) In the civil war a regiment from the state of North Carolina held their line while their foe retreated. Hence, they held the line like they had tar on theidefinition (this is probably the preferred defintion).

(b) An old derogatory term relating to areas of poverty in North Carolina. The people in the area were so poor they didn'’t have shoes and as a result had tar on their heels.

Incidently, The Daily Tarheel is also picking a narrow victory for boys in powder blue. You can read more about their projected 28-24 victory for the home team.

Utah facing the big WHAT IF

That quietness is hard to shake. The sizzle has cooled. The University of Utah and their 18 game winning streak are back to square one. They now say things like, "“You can'’t win them all"”. Oh sure, now you tell us. The fans where brought back to earth last week in a tough overtime loss to TCU. The Ute players and coaches are giving us other cliches like, "“We'’ll see what we are made of"” and "“It'’s important how we bounce back"”. The truth is the University of Utah hasn'’t had to bounce back from anything in almost two years. While we like to think they are resilient and will be ready to put up a big game in a crucial situation and against a quality opponent at a critical time, but we just don'’t know. That little inner battle of self confidence versus self doubt will be one of the most intriguing things to see tonight and the result will set the path for the rest of the season.

What we know so far:

TCU is a good team. Not a great team, but good. Them beating OU and Utah, two of the top five teams in the country last year, is a good accomplishment, but it doesn't mean quite as much as it sounds like it does. OU is down. Way down. Utah isn'’t unbeatable anymore either. And for the Frogs one loss, well SMU apparently isn'’t as awful as people think. Certainly SMU is now capable of standing up and winning if the opponent doesn'’t overlooks them and lays an egg, as TCU did in their lone loss on the year. TCU plays in BYU in Provo this week, so we'’ll have another chance to gauge them.

Utah should be unbeaten. Utah'’s loss to the Horned Frogs shouldn'’t have happened. It'’s true there were a couple bad calls that went against them, including the offensive pass interference that wasn'’t called on TCU on the winning touchdown in overtime. But, don'’t misunderstand, the referees weren'’t the cause of the loss. Utah had chances to win this game. Utah was up 17-7 in the 3^rd quarter and instead of seizing the game, they let the Frogs stay in the game. Also, Utah had the ball at midfield with something like three minutes left in the game. Yet they didn'’t seize that opportunity either and ended up in an overtime game. You want to know what happens to road teams in overtime when they are playing in that hot humid Texas air? The same thing that happens to teams that come to Utah and try to battle out a close game at altitude. You begin to look a little tired and you lose your edge. Case in point - Utah'’s star running back Quinton Ganther developed cramps and wasnÂ’t there to be the hammer late in the game. Shoulda, coulda, woulda sums it all up. Last year, Utah simply DID.

Air Force can definately win this game tonight. Utah and Air Force have had battles in recent years. Sure Utah thumped them last year, but in years prior we'’ve seen triple overtime and close wins by both teams. Vegas says the Utes are favored by a touchdown. While that number is easy to rationalize and I could see a 37-27 score in favor of Utah, history says this game will be closer than that and come down to the final two or three minutes.

The big WHAT IF-

What happens to Utah if they lose? It would be the first time in 30 games that the Utes have lost two in a row. It would be two conference losses and make winning the conference outright pretty much impossible. In fact, it might make even sharing the conference title an extreme long-shot. Would the surge in popularity for the Utes be gone? The bandwagon, which has lost a few members already, would certainly have plenty of vacancy if Utah were to drop to 2-2. The young QB Brian Johnson who looks like he can be terrific, would have a large case of doubt cast into his promising career. Instead of being a rising program, a loss would further give credence to those people claiming the last two years as flukes and nothing more than the "“Urban effect"”.

Mumbling on the outcome:

No way Utah'’s defense stops the Falcon offense. I expect Air Force to score a minimum of 27 points and expect perhaps the mid-thirties. Utah must be efficient and avoid early turnovers. That seems to be a basic element to any game, but the key is early turnovers. If Utah comes out and scores a few times early, they will be able to survive some errors later in the game. If Air Force causes some blunders by Utah and gets an early lead, the whole game changes and the ground game will hurt Utah. Surely the game won'’t be over if the Utes go up early, but the style of the game will change to what Utah might prefer. Air Force, unlike past Falcon teams, is passing the ball fairly well. QB Shaun Carney is very elusive and tricky with the ball. His ability to throw off an option play brings new dangers to defending the Falcons. That said, these Falcons still do most of the damage on the ground and not in the air. Air Force is 13^th in the nation in rushing yards per game at 258.

I was wrong predicting the outcome of last weekÂ’s game, so take this with a grain of salt. While I expect the Utes to serve the Falcons a big dose of Quinton Ganther, I also think they'’ll make a concerted effort to allow both QB Brian Johnson and WR Brent Casteel to make some big plays. Utah has a 9 game home winning streak and should win this game. I'’ll give in to history and go with a close score of 37-34 in favor of Utah.

Big Numbers in 1988 Scott Mitchell, set a then NCAA record, and still holds the Utah record with 631 yards passing in a game when Utah lost to Air Force in 1988. Why did they lose? In the same game, Air Force rolled up a whopping 640 yards rushing against Utah. Let those numbers sink in. Next time you see a running team go nuts for 450 yards, realize that is still about 200 yards short. Next time you see a big air show and the QB posts something like 450 yards, realize he isn'’t even close.

Nation’s 2nd longest winning streak in jeopardy

There is a little game day tension circulating in Salt Lake City. The Utes have knocked off 18 straight opponents. A streak that now extends into parts of three different seasons. Confidence is in the air, but today there is also something else. Tension. TCU’s victory over Oklahoma gave the Horned Frogs instant respect and has given everyone the impression that they will be conference contenders. Even though TCU wasted some of that respect with a loss to SMU the following week, their strong defense has people noticing.

The Utes are still favored to win, albeit narrowly, as Vegas has posted a 3 ½ point spread. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN and features a couple of great reasons to watch. First, Utah will try and push the nation’s 2^nd longest winning streak to 19 games. USC is #1 and isn't expected to lose anytime in the near future. Second, this is TCU’s home opener and first ever game in the Mountain West Conference.

This is Utah’s first road game of the season and should be the toughest test thus far. Are the young guys ready to step up in a situation that is bound to present some adversity? Mainly, will Brian Johnson make the right decisions and help Utah’s offense be close to error free? Will Utah’s defense cause enough turnovers to keep TCU’s offense from breaking lose? This game actually has the feel of the New Mexico game last season. New Mexico was featuring a tough defense, the game was on ESPN, and everyone was wondering if Utah would be able to win a big road game. Utah answered the bell in a pretty physical game by winning 28-7. That game vaulted Utah to 6 straight games of scoring 45 or more points. Answering the challenge tonight could also vault this season’s Utes. However, what will happen to the young team and the bandwagon fans if things don’t go Utah’s way?

What will happen? I think Brian Johnson, who set a school record for efficiency in his last game by going 18-21 passing, will be solid and make enough big plays to keep the offense moving. Also, the Utes will actually test TCU’s defense. TCU’s defense is drawing praise for their performance the first two weeks, but I’m not sure we know how good they are. OU had no passing game and the Horned Frogs were able to stack the line of scrimmage to slow Adrian Peterson. SMU is better than in recent years, but also doesn’t possess a potent offense. Utah’s offense is much younger than last year, but is still explosive and features four big playmakers in Brian Johnson, Quinton Ganter (RB), Brent Casteel (RB/WR), and John Madsen (WR). TCU has the talent to win this, especially if QB Tye Gunn is able to play up to his reputation of a dangerous and poised leader. Turnovers will be a key as usual, but I would expect both teams will make a similar number of mistakes. I think this game will be close, but expect Utah to make just enough big plays to hold-on and keep the streak alive. Utah 23, TCU 16.

Mumbling about College Football and an Ex-Ute:

• What is going on in Norman Oklahoma? The Sooners lost to TCU and didn’t play very well in beating Tulsa in week 2. This week OU is a 6 ½ point underdog at UCLA. How hard is it to get a QB when you have the national reputation the Sooners have? Apparently Jason White’s 12 years as QB left OU without the focus on recruiting for that position.
• Urban Meyer is also in jeopardy of losing his first game in the last two years as Tennessee plays at Florida on Saturday. For all the nay-sayers who have said Urban’s spread offense was gimmicky and wouldn’t work against big time talent, this is a big week.
  Notre Dame isn’t crying over losing Urban Meyer. The Fighting Irish are coming off back to back wins under Charlie Wiess and draw Michigan State this week for a chance at 3-0.
• From the “I wish you were here, and I bet you do too” category is Steve Savoy. Savoy was a big playmaker and all conference wide receiver for Utah last season. Savoy chose to go pro early, although the never was much of a press conference or explanation as to why he was making that decision. Savoy went undrafted and then made another bad choice by selecting Detroit as the team to attend camp with. Detroit featuring many young high draft selections at wideout was a dead end before he even go there. Savoy was cut and is not playing football on Sundays. Or Saturdays, or even Thursday nights on ESPN.

Battle of the Brothers - Utes and Aggies

One of the nation's longest rivalries continues when the University of Utah plays Utah State tonight. It hasn't felt like a rivalry lately however, as Utah has won 23 of the last 28 games and comes into this game as a 24 point favorite. That said, you can expect the Aggies to play nothing to lose as new coach Brent Guy looks to shake things up for Utah State.

Utah State was supposed to be playing their second game of the season against Utah. However, due to Hurricane Katrina, Nicholls State was unable to make it Logan and the game was cancelled. This could play in Aggies favor as the Utes have no game film to review on either this year's Aggies or how they might play with their new coach. However, on the flip side the Aggies will have to deal with all those first game jitters while facing a very explosive Utah team. As a result, I expect Utah to hang a couple of early touchdowns on the Aggies and force them to mature in a hurry. The Aggies have a young line backers and that is one position that can bury you against Utah's spread offense. I look for Ganther and QB Johnson to have good nights for the Utes and for the score to be something like 42-17.

'Cats In The Bag

The Utah Utes pushed the nation's 2nd longest winning streak to 17 games with a 27-24 victory over the Arizona Wildcats. It was closer than some liked, but all in all it was a huge positive as Utah as the guys who they've asked to fill big shoes this year were ready for the task.

The Utes had the 'Cats on the verge of a blowout with 27-10 lead in the third quarter. But, to Arizona's credit, they fought back with two unanswered scoring drives to cut the margin to three points. In fact, they had the ball and were driving towards a tying or winning score when the drive stalled near the Utah 40. With only about three minutes left in the game Arizona coach Mike Stoops opted to punt the ball back to Utah on fourth down instead of going for it. Bad decision? His team had two straight scoring drives to serve as momentum. Utah's running back Quinton Ganther then ripped off two long runs and Utah ate all but about 30 seconds of game clock before pinning Arizona deep in their own territory.



Some Ute Game Mumbles...

• Running back Quinton Ganther is in for a big season. He gained 137 yards rushing, 50 yards receiving, and scored one TD. Especially as Utah entertains teams that are less physical than Arizona, Ganther should run them over.
• QB Brian Johnson looked awfully nervous early in the game. Luckily, those nerves didn't produce much in the way of bad decisions. As the game wore on his athleticism and decision making showed why Ute fans should be excited. He is no Alex Smith, but he is on his way to being a very good Brian Johnson.
• Bad day for the Stoops brothers. Hours before the Utes beat the Mike Stoops led Wildcats, the Bob Stoops led Oklahoma Sooners were upset at home by TCU.
  
• Instant replay is now a Mountain West thing. It didn't take long to try it out either. Early in the game Utah quarterback Brian Johnson was hit while throwing. The ruling on the field was a fumble and Arizona would have been poised for a quick lead. Luckily for Utah and the confidence of their young QB, the play was reversed.
• From the "When I say I'm explosive, I mean that I'm explosive" category, Utah freshman Brent Casteel took the ball 59 yards for a touchdown and later make a great catch in traffic. Casteel had taken some heat for being a little young and little over confident when he mentioned something about a future heisman run during an interview. This guy is going to make many a big play in the years to come.
  

Utes - New Season, New Players, New Result?

Tonight the University of Utah opens a new season against Pac-10 opponent Arizona and there are many questions about this season'’s Utes. There are new players, new coaches, new uniforms, and if the NCAA has it'’s way, at some point a new nickname. As far as on the field results, the Utes are favored by a touchdown to win their 17^th straight football game and at least in game one, expected to fulfill the marketing slogan '“Keep it Rolling.'”

When Utah talks about a promise to Keep it Rolling, they are certainly aiming high. Not only did Utah win every game last year and finish ranked #4 in the country, but they demolished virtually every opponent and never were really tested. They had no close games and won by an average score of 45.3 to 19.5. The closest game for the 2004 Utes was a 14 point victory.

Last year, Utah'’s offense relied on one of the nationÂ’s most intelligent decision makers in quarterback Alex Smith. Sure the fire and motivation provided by Urban Meyer could be argued as the key component, but Smith gave Utah leadership and efficiency that was unmatched. Utah scored a staggering 93% of the time in the red zone (82% TDs). As Alex was selected number one in the NFL draft, itÂ’s obvious people noticed the key to the Utes. Meyer was thrown something like $14 Million dollars by the University of Florida, so obviously he has received accolades of his own.

This year'’s Ute offense will be different as the mesh the spread offense with some of the philosophy of new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig from Oregon. Also, it'’s hard not to think the physical mentality that new coach Kyle Wittingham exudes won'’t also cause some change to the offense. Last year, Utah used a spread offense and a relentless attacking philosophy to bury their opponents. This season, while they'’ll continue to have a significant amount of the spread offense, we may see them also try to just physically overmatch many of their opponents. New starting QB, Brian Johnson is even more athletic than Alex Smith and while he may not be efficient, Utah'’s coaches are openly positive about the potential of Johnson and the Ute offense. Another reason for optimism is this year'’s featured running back Quinton Ganther. Ganther is a very strong runner who will try and pound Ute opponents all season. How strong is he? It has been reported that he can bench a team high weight, something like 435lbs. There is also the ability to play physical at the wide receiver position. Starting wide receiver John Madsen who at 6'’5"” and 230lbs will be able to punish the smaller corners and is definitely a potential NFL caliber player.

There are also a couple of new names at receiver for fans to follow. First, is a heralded JC transfer Brian Hernandez who has had a great camp in preparing to contribute. Also is one of the most, shall we say “confident” Utes in Brent Casteel. Castell is a redshirt freshmen who has game breaking ability. So far he has also shown some great quote-ability as he has stated he has goals to be freshman all American and a heisman candidate. Nothing like a little orexuberanceyouthful exeburance.

Why Ute Fans should panic....

Coaching Changes -– The Utes have a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator and a new defensive coordinator in addition to other changes of line and assistant coaches. There hasnÂ’t been a coach make more of a dramatic impact on a college program than Urban Meyer did at Utah the last two seasons. Now long time Ute assistant, Kyle Wittingham gets his chance to lead the Utes. He is in a tough situation, because along with the new QB, will take a lot of heat if the Utes struggle. If the continue last yearÂ’s success, credit will probably go to Meyer for establishing a great program.

Quarterback -– The Utes go from starting a NFL top pick in Alex Smith, to an 18 year old sophomore quarterback in Brian Johnson. Johnson has praise from coaches and teammates, but fans are pretty jumpy about this position. Johnson will have perhaps the most pressure of any Ute and definitely the biggest shoes to fill.

Wide Receivers -– The top two wide-outs from last year Paris Warren and Steve Savoy are gone. The Utes are quick to state that they have more depth at the position this season, and while that may be true, it would be surprising for the Utes to have as much production at receiver this year as they received from Warren and Savoy.

Running Backs- Leading rusher Marty Johnson and his 14 rushing TDs are gone. Quinton Ganther takes over, and while demonstrates promise, only rushed for one TD last season. Every is very high on Ganther and he should have a great yardage season, but you canÂ’t forget the scoring and tough inside running that Marty Johnson produced.

Other Key Players gone -– Defensive leaders Marques Ledbetter (injured), Morgan Scalley, Bo Nagahi, Corey Dodds, and Sione Pouha are all gone. Top offensive lineman and Sports Illustrated All-American Chris Kemoeatu is also gone and pursuing a pro career.

What kind of offense will Ute Fans see? In the press we hear things that lead us to believe the Utes will feature an offense similar to last year'’s offense, but mix in some new things. New Offensive Coordinator, Andy Ludwig, from Oregon has a good offensive reputation but hasn'’t ever been associated with the spread offense that Utah has run the last two seasons. Further, not only has Urban Meyer left, but the top two offensive gurus Mike Sanford and Dan Mullen are also gone. Is there reason to think Utah will deviate from last year'’s explosive spread? The Utes who were 3^rd in the country averaging 45.3 last season have been leaking many things that suggest a change. It has been said that the TE will return to UtahÂ’s offense. Running back Quinton Ganther, who looks like an impressive battering ram type of player, is said to be drawing rave reviews. He is a different style runner and a focus on Ganther could mean more smash mouth type of offense. I would expect games to be closer this season, as a former defensive coordinator in Wittingham, is liable to err on the side of conservatism.

Despite all the questions, Ute fans should be prepared for another great season.

Kyle Wittingham is a competitive and hard nosed guy, who is more interested in winning than re-inventing the wheel. It's for that reason that you think Utah will continue some of the things that made them great last season. Forget about undefeated talk, but the ability to be ranked and win the conference is completely reachable.

The Utes will win because the cliche, "“Players win games"” is still true and the Utes have the talent to win. Despite the many changes, the replacements at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and on the defensive line all show signs of being more than capable.

If QB Brian Johnson and RB Quinton Ganther live up to the hype, the offense will thrive again up on the hill. The defense has questions at linebacker but the secondary and defensive line will both be very strong.

Want to follow the Utes?

Want to laugh and hear great coverage about the University of Utah? 1280 the Zone has a show each week day from 10am-1pm local time, called "“The Red and Blue"”. It is hosted by former BYU and Utah players and features non stop rivalry banter by the hosts and the callers.

Utah games are carried by Hot Ticket 700. They also features some great afternoon coverage by Matt Thomas and Bill Riley.

The best Ute Fans site on the net? Clear the best is www.utefans.net . The message board, the pictures, and Ute content is unmatched.

Will Arizona let the Cat out of the Bag? Will they spoil Utah'’s season before it begins? Have they said enough to actually convince themselves they can win? Sure Arizona comes from the Pac-10 and they are feeling optimistic both about their second year under Mike Stoops and the fact that they played Utah pretty tough last year, but they shouldn'’t get over confident. For one, Utah will sell out the game and will be pretty tough at home. The Utes are 4-2 against the Pac-10 the last four years and are favored by a touchdown to keep the trend going. It is true that the Wildcats played Utah tough last season and that their own turnovers hurt them. It is also true that Utah just started the season and wasn'’t clicking either.

I expect Arizona to have trouble scoring more than 20 points against Utah, and I have a hard time not seeing Utah get at least 3 TDs against the ‘cats. I expect Utah to win a relatively close game, by last season’s standards anyway, and get their 17^th straight victory 27-17.