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Show The University o fUtah's I n d e p e n d e n t Student Voice Since THE ©2006 1890 DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Vol. 116 NO. 57 Friday, October 13,2006 www.dailyutahchronicle.com Quote of the day Inside News Opinion A&E 'And the Utes are...well..they are goocL.ish." -Cody Brunner on the MWC title race SEE FULL COLUMN ON GAME GUIDE 4. 1'agv a Payc I Love thy neighbor Two weeks' notice Very scary ASUU's chief of staff resigns with hopes of running for student body president in the spring. Or at least haunted houses are supposed to evoke terror. Flip to A&E and discover the truth. Aaron Zundel challenges you to he more empathetic toward the LGBT community, or else just keep your mouth shut. UTAH WYOMING SATURDAY, OCT. 14 1p.m.d>LARAMIE,WY0. oyup Utes face off against Wyoming looking to improve to 3-0 in MWC games in five days, Chris Bellamy Chronicle Sports Editor both against physical opponents. Two down, six to go. The Mountain West Conference schedule is at full tilt, and_thusiar_the U1 football team is still unscathed. But the Wyoming Cowboys may have something to say about that when the Utes make their way to Laramie this Saturday. This conference "rivalry," as it were, hasn't really been much of one of late. Not only have the Utes won each of the last six meetings between the two, but for the most part, the games haven't even been close." Wyoming made it close in a 23-18 loss in Laramie in 2002, but otherwise it's been a lopsided affair in recent years, including two shutouts and a 43-13 blowout last year. Last year's Wyoming group was competitive throughout the year despite finishing with a 4-7 record, and this year it's been more of the same—which is exactly why Kyle Whittingham and Co. are taking Wyoming seriously despite the Cowboys' 2-4 start. Unlike last year's easy victory, which came within the friendly confines of Rice-Eccles Stadium, the Utes face the Cowboys in Laramie this year at War Memorial Stadium, which has drawn fewer than 20,000 fans on average in three home contests this season. But, Whittingham says, that doesn't mean it's not as tough an environment as many others around the league. "It's a hostile environment. Those fans get after you. It's a great crowd," Whittingham said. "It's a crowd that, if you're Wyoming, you love it. It is an advantage for them. They love football. They are very footballsavvy up in Wyoming. It's just a tough place to play." Despite going on the road, the Utes do have one advantage going for them this week: rest. Their last two games took quite a physical toll on them, as they played two After losing to Boise State two weeks ago, the Utes had to go right back to work to take on TCU—a game.in whjchlhe-Horned Frogs, for obvious reasons, were favored. But the Utes came out of that game with a decisive victory over the Frogs, and their reward? A nine-day layover to prepare for Wyoming and its No. i-ranked pass defense. "That's good to have more of a regular workweek, you get a little bit of a rest, because the turnaround from the Boise to the TCU was so fast, players didn't get a lot of recuperation from the Boise State game," offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig said. "So that's good to get that recuperation or rest behind us." However, players say the short week may have even been a good thing; after such a porous showing against the Broncos, they wanted to rebound quickly and forget about Boise State as fast as possible. "We benefited from the short week. Going in, everything was a lot more urgent; we had to put a lot of things in," sophomore wideout Brent Casteel said. "We have to focus a lot having these long times between games—there's a lot more to do, and a lot more to go over." One thing that has hurt the team, as it has many other teams across the nation, is injuries. But the Utes' health is finally starting to come around. The linebackers and defensive line are intact after suffering through nagging injuries to the likes of Soli Lefiti and Joe Jiannoni, and wideouts Brian Hernandez and Bradon Godfrey have returned to the lineup over the last two weeks. "Everybody's body is back to pretty much roo See U T E S Game Guide 4 Season Stats Rushing THE x FACTOR: Can the Ute passing game overcome the Wyoming secondary? The Cowboys boast the No. 1 pass defense in the country, yielding just 106 pass yards per game. The Ute pass attack is just getting going, and it will be essential for the Utes to build off last week's success if they want to come out victorious in Laramie. m Wyo-Seldon Wyo- Moore Utah-Poston Utah-Ratliff Utah-Liti Passing Wyo-Sween Utah-Ratliff Receiving Wyo-Ford Wyo-Holden Wyo-Marsh Utah-Richards Utah-Wilson Utah-Casteel Punting Wyo-Vinnedge Utah-Sakoda Field goals Wyo-Goodman Utah-Sakoda Att. 93 38 61 37 24 Yds. 353 268 251 227 132 Avg. TD 3.8 1 7.1 0 4.1 2 6,1 0 5.5 1 Long 19 43 18 34 45 Cmp-Att-Int Yds. TD Effic. 39-60-3 (.650) 435 4 137.9 84-163-5 (.515) 1053 10 119.9 Catches 38 19 13 22 16 16 Yds. Avg TD 381 10.0 2 240 12.6 3 185 14.2 3 257 11.7 3 253 15.8 2 229 14.3 3 Long 31 51 39 38 34 49 No. Avg. Long Blocked 27 43.6 61 0 31 43.8 75 0 FG made/Att Lon } Blocked 7-12 43 0 8-9 44 0 Weather 66/49 Sunny |