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Show T h e U n i v e r s i t y of U t a h ' s I n d e p e n d e n t S t u d e n t V o i c e S i n c e 1 8 9 0 THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Vol. 115 No. 104 Thursday, December 8, 2005 ©2005 www.dailyutahchronicle.com BOWL GUIDE /V? UTAH VS. GEORGIA TECH. Let's go bowling! Utes prepare for Emerald Bowl matchup Chris Bellamy Chronicle Asst. Sports Editor Kyle Whittingham said it's ironic that in a season full of unfulfilled expectations, the U football team faces a "much tougher opponent" this year than it did following last year's historic undefeated run. But that's the boat in which the Utes find themselves as they get set to take on No. 24 Georgia Tech in the Emerald Bowl Dec. 29 in San Francisco's SBC Park. "I think we drew the best 7-4 team in the country/' the firstyear Utah head coach said. "We're going to have to bring our A-game to have a chance." After blowing out Pittsburgh, the champion of a weak Big East, in last year's Piesta Bowl, the Utes (6-5, 4-4 MWC) face a Georgia Tech squad (7-4, 5-3 ACC) that has been a giant killer this season. It defeated both Auburn and Miami on the road and nearly took down No. 8 Georgia in the team's season finale. "(Georgia Tech is) an excellent football team," Whittingham said. "Anybody that can beat Miami at Miami and beat Auburn at Auburn, and play Georgia right down to the wire, is obviously a quality team." A victory against an opponent like the Yellow Jackets would be quite a capper for the Utes, who have endured a difficult season from the very beginning. The Utes' late-season victory over BYU propelled them into the postseason, and they expect to make the most of it. "(This) is great for our players. It's exciting for our players to have the chance to line up against a storied program like Georgia Tech," Whittingham said. "There's a lot of gameplanning that we're going to have to do in the next couple weeks." To say that they have had their share of ups and downs this season would be an understatement. But things ended on an upswing, as replacement quarterback Brett Ratliff and the Utes stunned BYU in Provo to close out the regular season. Ratliff, the junior transfer from Butte College, will have his hands full with the Jackets' defense, which ranks No. 10 in the country and snagged 26 takeaways this season, second-best in the ACC. "They're a great team. It's going to be a great opponent to play," Ratliff said. "We're looking forward to them. We need to play our best game, and that's what we expect to do." Facing a defense that is both tough to run on and extremely opportunistic, the Utes will have their hands full but are confident they can find ways to beat the Jackets. "We're the No. 12 offense in the nation, we just need to keep doing what we're doing, just focus on our strengths and try to pick them apart with that," Ratliff said. Things don't get much easier for Utah on the other side THE A of the ball. The Ute defense has been steadily improving in all areas over the course of the season but now has to contend with an AllAmerican receiver, the thirdbest rushing attack in the conference and an offensive line that has yielded just eight sacks all season. Calvin Johnson, in just his second year, has earned All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association and is just another in a long line of big, physical receivers whom the Utes have had to face this season. As was the case against Wyoming (Jovon Bouknight) and New Mexico (Hank Baskett), junior Eric Weddle is expected to line up against Johnson and try to neutralize his gamebreaking abilities. "He's a great wide receiver. A lot of people think he's one of the best in country, and it shows on film," Weddle said. "He'll be the best wide receiver I go against, and I'm excited about the challenge." Whittingham, who will be in charge for the first time in a bowl game, said he has to tread a "delicate balance" over the next couple of weeks as he prepares his team for its season finale. "It's a big challenge for us," he said. "We don't want to overwork them. The bowl game should be a reward. It should be a great experience. You don't want to make it miserable for them, but at the same time you want to win the game." But despite a desire to not overwork itself, the team is focused on not only playing well against Tech, but also on coming away with a victory. "It's a big statement game for the Mountain West Conference and for us," senior tailback Quinton Ganther said. c.bellamy@ chronicle.utah.edu FACTOR: Utes must silence Cal ON THE OTHER SIDNEUNE Can the Utes keep up with the Jackets' athleticism—namely that of wideout Calvin Johnson? It is expected that the MWC's newly crowned Defensive Player of the Year, Eric Weddle, will draw the unenviable task of covering Georgia Tech sophomore stud Calvin Johnson, who, as Kyle Whittingham said, "may be the best wide receiver in the country." Weddle has proven his mettle this season when it comes to shutting down big-time receivers. Once again, the game's outcome may come down to who wins the battle between him and Johnson, who leads a Georgia Tech offense that may be more athletic than any the Utes have seen over the past two seasons. Chris Bellamy Yellow Jackets: sting or miss Matt Patton Chronicle Writer If you thought Utah was a sporadic, unpredictable team, you need to be introduced to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. They are able to boast victories over Bowl Championship Series No. 8 Miami and No. 9 Auburn, but they've also lost to N.C. State and Virginia. The inconsistency can usually be traced to their junior quarterback, Reggie Ball. In the Yellow Jackets' four losses this season, Ball has thrown seven interceptions to just four touchdowns. Although Ball isn't particularly accurate, with a 48 percent completion rate, and doesn't throw for many yards each game (173 yards passing per game), he is able to run the ball well and help the offense to Football Utah vs; Georgia Te Thursday, Dec. 29 1:30 p.m. at SBC Park iv ESPN pdd.o Hot Ticket 7 0 0 Today's weather .Mostly Sunny 26/16 A&E Opinion Page 10 Vive la revolucion Ode to finals The Chronicle's fashionistas take on el presidente, All Hasnain. Eric Vogeler gives the end of the semester a proper send-off in verse form. score enough to win games. Not that Ball doesn't have someone to throw to. Leading the offensive threats for the Yellow Jackets is the 2004 ACC Rookie of the Year, Calvin Johnson. On the year, he has caught 52 passes for 869 yards and six touchdowns. Right behind Johnson in offensive power is senior running back P.J. Daniels. He is second in the ACC with 82.1 yards rushing per game and holds the NCAA record for rushing yards in a bowl game with 307 yards, which he accumulated against Tulsa in the Humanitarian Bowl two years ago. Although they do have weapons on offense, they've averaged just 19 points per game, so the Yellow Jackets have had to rely on their defense to keep them in games. In their 14-10 surprise upset of the Hurricanes, the defense stole the show. Led by Philip Wheeler, KaMichael Hall and Eric Henderson, the Yellow Jackets' defense sacked Kyle Wright seven times, See GEORGIA T E C H Game Guide 3 Sports Pagcu Out in the cold ^ Runnin' Utes get blown away at Colorado. '• ; ? •"•?$& |