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Show SPORTS PACL: 11 THURSDAY 11/18 Daily Utah Chronicle Utes focused and ready for Saturday's matchup Asad Kudlya Sports Editor Overconfidence and overlooking BYU this week would be the two factors that could cause the Utes to lose their final game of the season along with dashing any hopes of earning a BCS bowl berth. However, considering the team's demeanor through practice Wednesday evening, all signs pointed toward a focused team. "We had one of our best weightlifting days of the year today," U football coach Urban Meyer said. "When can any team actually say that they had one of their best weightlifting days at this point in the year?" Utah is clearly the better team this season and are favored by 21-points in Las Vegas. To Ute wide receiver Steve Savoy, there is no way the Utes will fall into the hype and become overconfident and overlook the Cougars. "We have come too far to overlook this game," Savoy said. "This is our rivals and we need to be focused. The comment made by BYU wide receiver Austin Collie ("We're gonna give a hurtm' to Utah") after the Cougar's loss to New Mexico certainly turned some Ute players' heads. "He is a young guy, so I don't really care too much about it," Savoy said. "We will be ready for the game." "Its not about how much you talk, it's about what you do on the field," U safety Morgan Scalley said The Utes have not participated too much in the trash talking and Scalley isn't too surprised. "Everyone here is really focused and we want to make history and go undefeated," Scalley said. "Sometimes it is fun to get into the trash talking, but this year we want to focus on winning the game." Sa'turd'a'y will be" 'senior day, honoring players such as SEE U T E S PAGE 12 Utah's Morgan Scalley brings down Wyoming guarterback Corey Bramlet Saturday night in Laramle. Utes' numbers so high they're offensive GameDay 101 This is it Ute radio show. You fans. might not be on TV yet, but if we The biggest Satget a big crowd, urday (or any day) you know the rain Utah football dio listeners will history is a mere hear it. Plus there two days away. will be plenty of I've put together free giveaways to a short "class" on get the weekend the basics of what started off right. to do this SaturUrban Meyer Saturday mornday. Guest Columnist ing is the big ESPN's "College show. It goes on the air at 8:30 Football GameDay" will be here to show how the nation how a.m., but get there early! The U great this rivalry is. Follow this will serve French toast and hot simple primer and everyone and cocoa to the first 5,000 fans, with their dog will be talking about 10,000 sets of pompoms just Utah football on Monday morn- waiting to be given out as well. ing. Do your part, and we'll take Cheer like crazy and come back throughout the day to watch care of the game. What: The greatest college foot- them film "SportsCenter" updates. After we beat TDS, watch ball show in the nation. Seriously, how many live shows can the "GameDay" final wrap-up show with a bunch of happy Ute tout a studio audience of more fans. than 20,000 fans every week? These guys get the juices flowDress Code: Painted faces, ing in even the most apathetic anything and everything crimcollege football follower. Lee son, signs, horns, headdresses Corso is an old college coach, and kitchen sinks. (if your football knowledge The more red you wear, the gbes'back a ways, you'll remem- better the atmosphere. I will ber he knows a thing or two personally rip up your tickets about beating the Team Down if you wear blue. (You think I'm South himself) and generates joking?) most of the animated banter Behavior: GO CRAZY!! GO between the group. I can't wait NUTS!!! GO WILD!!! GO CRAto see him try on the Swoop ZY, NUTS AND WILD!!! I'm head. Kirk Herbstreit is an exserious! The rowdier it is, the quarterback who was the signal more fun it is for the crowd and caller for Ohio State. He knows for the country. Let's show them what kind of fans Utah has! a ton about college football. Chris Fowler runs the show and Final Notes: There it is Ute is probably the best studio host fans. I know I have nothing to there is. worry about because we have Where: The show will be the best fans in the country. We filmed in the west parking lot of will make a great impression on Rice-Eccles stadium, right near every college football fan and the TRAX station. It should be a "GameDay" will make a habit of great scene, with 20,000 Ute fans coming to our campus. This is our time in the spotlight! and the stadium behind them. You ain't seen nothing yet! When: The guys get here at 3 GO UTES! p.m. on Friday to do their weekly VOLLEYBALL NO. 19 UTAH (21-4,13-1) AT MOUNTAIN WEST TOURNAMENT : Nov. 18,200411 a.m. @ Fort Collins, Colo. The GameDay Guys Lee Corso KirkHerbstrett Chris Fowler MEN'S HOOPS STONY BROOK AT UTAH Nov. 19,2004 8 p.m. @ Huntsman Center I'm going to be frank— scoring offense at 28.5 the U football team (10points per game, a full o) has been outstanding 17 points less than the on the field this year, Utes. to the point where the One reason why the second half requires an Utes score so often is egregiously high point because they don't waste spread to make the opportunities. They lead games competitive. This the MWC in red-zone week's opponent, BYU, offense, scoring 91.2 will likely provide the Matt Ouelette percent of the time, inUtes with their greatest Columnist cluding the same three test of the season, but intentional no-scores as by the second half the Utes could very games were winding down. well be playing against the 21-point The Utes don't just score on offense, spread. however—they gain tons of yards as The Utes have been playing against well. They are second in the nation the numbers all season, so this wouldn't in total offense and first in the MWC, be that big of a surprise. What is sur- averaging 499.2 yards per game. That's prising is how easily the Utes' offense 100 yards more than Saturday's ophas compiled their own numbers this ponent, and almost 90 yards more than the next closest MWC team, Air year. The most impressive number is Force. probably 10, as in the number of Ute Seminal to their ability to gain yards wins minus their number of losses. is their ability to convert on third Another impressive number would downs, which they do at an MWC-best be one, as in the number of BCS bowl rate of 50 percent. berths earned by Utes this season, but "Right now they're on a roll," BYU those are numbers earned by the team, head coach Gary Crowton said. not just the offense. "There's very few wasted plays." However, the Utes' offense has been Crowton further boiled the Utes' of* the most impressive unit on the team fensive success down to Alex Smith's this year without question, and the running ability. numbers it has compiled are astound"It's a unique offense where the QB ing, even with 15 quarters of compla- is carrying the ball a lot," Crowton cent, time-killing, often second-string said. "Because you have an extra guy football. involved in the run game, it limits what Nationally, the Utes are second in your coverages can do." scoring offense, tallying an average Whether or not the Utes' offense is of 45.7 points per game. A number as simple as Crowton makes it sound, that could be higher if not for Urban its success does revolve heavily around Meyer's decision to run out the clock Smith's special abilities, and the perinstead of scoring easy touchdowns sonnel surrounding him. at the ends of three games. It was the Smith is the second-most efficient classy thing to do, but I just thought I'd passer in the nation, with a quarterinclude it for argument's sake. back rating of 179.3. That's 51 points In the MWC, the Utes sit atop sever- higher then the MWC's second-most al major team and individual offensive efficient passer John Beck. categories, including scoring offense. Wyoming has the MWC's second-best SEE NUMBERS PAGE 12 WOMEN'S HOOPS (0-0) (0-0) NO. 7 STANFORD AT UTAH Nov. 19, 2004 6 p.m. @ Huntsman Center SWIMMING/DIVING (0-0) (0-0) UTAH AT INDIANA INVITATIONAL Nov. 19 2004 all day @ Bloominqton, Ind. FOOTBALL BRIGHAM YOUNG AT NO. 5 UTAH (5-5, 3-2) (10-0, 6-0) Nov. 20,2004 5 p.m. @ Rice-Eccles Stadium |
