2010 Utah Utes Football Preview

2009 Results: 10-3, Won Poinsettia Bowl vs. California

Head Coach: Kyle Whittingham (6th year @ Utah, 47-17 Overall)

Home Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium (45,017), Salt Lake City, Utah

2010 will be Utah’s swan song as a member of the Mountain West Conference as the Utes accepted the Pac Ten’s offer for membership in June. Utah has truly earned their ascension to BCS status, with two BCS bowl wins and their established status as one of the MWC’s top three teams.

However, this Utah team will have to deal with the fallout of leaving the league after this season and you can bet that they won’t have a friendly welcome on the road. With a veteran offense leading the way, can Coach Whittingham lead Utah to overcome the obstacles and win one more Mountain West championship?

OFFENSE

2009 was a learning season for Utah on offense as they averaged less than 30 points per game while figuring out their quarterback situation. In the end, sophomore Jordan Wynn (1,329 yards, 8 TDs, 4 INT) started the final five games, produced nearly 35 points per game as the starter and appears ready to be one of the top QBs in the Mountain West. Wynn should also have one of the better sets of receivers in the league, led by senior Jereme Brooks (56 catches, 696 yards, 7 TDs).

But the real strength of this team is going to be one of the top two running games in the Mountain West Conference. Senior tailback Eddie Wide (1069 yards, 12 TD) was a 1st Team All-MWC performer and he is going to carry the load in a very deep backfield. Even better, he’ll be running behind a very veteran line that brings back four starters, including seniors Zane Taylor and Calb Schlauderaff, both of whom were named to the league’s top two all-star teams in 2009. This will be the foundation of a very good offense this season.

With so much returning talent and one of the best offensive lines in the conference, it seems highly likely that this Ute squad is going to have a great season. Expect Wynn to flourish in his first full season under center and this offense will be the primary reason that Utah will challenge for the league title.

DEFENSE

While Utah won ten games last season, their defense allowed the most points in the last four seasons and the 2nd most during Willingham’s tenure. The biggest reason for this trouble was a rush defense that allowed opponents to run for nearly 140 yards per game, an increase of nearly 40 yards per game from 2008!

However, things are looking up for their front seven this year despite losing five of their top six tacklers from last season. The D-Line returns three starters, all of whom were productive last year. Furthermore, there is a lot of depth on hand and this could be one of the strongest lines in the conference.

That’s very good news because the linebackers have next to no experience. They’re so thin that touted true freshman V.J. Fehoko is considered a frontrunner for one spot! However, I think that Utah will get some good production from their inexperienced group because a strong line will allow them plenty of room to make plays. As for the secondary, junior Brandon Burton (47 tackles, 1 INT) and senior Lamar Chapman (46 tackles, 2 INT) make for a solid cornerback tandem but there is a hole at safety (last year’s starting pair were both drafted) that hasn’t yet been answered in the spring.

The good news is that the Utes are going to be strong up front and face a relatively easy first half of the season. This should allow them to get their feet wet and perform at a high level down the stretch against the meat of their league schedule. While the defense will be the weaker half of the team, this is still one of the Mountain West’s better units.

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SCHEDULE

Utah has an impressive list of non-conference opponents. After hosting Big East favorite Pitt on the opening Thursday of the season, they travel to both Iowa State and Notre Dame later in the year. On the flip side, they host both BYU and TCU, giving them a huge edge in league play. There’s no doubt that this is a tough schedule but I feel that Utah will face their toughest challenges at home, making it a navigable slate.

OUTLOOK

The final season before departing for the Pac Ten should be a proper send off for the Utes from the league that allowed them to become a nationally known power. Utah has a great running game, they are really strong along both lines of scrimmage and their quarterback appears to be a rising star. While they have a challenging schedule, Utah has the majority of their tough games in the 2 nd half of the year and that should allow their young defense to get their feet underneath them in the early going. I expect Utah to challenge for the Mountain West this year but I think that TCU is just too good this fall and that will leave the Utes with a 2 nd place finish. A ten win season, however, is a very realistic possibility in their final Mountain West campaign.

PREDICTED RESULT: 9-3 (6-2 Mountain West)