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Show %•-•**• ' . - r r*'*'j ' ' firs*? 'Blackout' will headline historic Mountain West matchup Christopher Kamrani ASST. SPORTS EDITOR The year was 1977—the last time a blackout of this significance was on the national stage. New York City, N.Y., was in the midst of a squelching summer inferno and thanks to a well-timed lightning storm, the city that doesn't sleep was without power for two days. It was one of the most infamous blackouts in history. That is, until now. The Big Apple sits 2,178 miles away from Salt Lake City and more importantly, the 9-0 Utes. The No. 10 Utes put their unblemished mark on the line against a formidable foe. Maybe too formidable. No. 11 TCU and its petrifyingly fast defense knock at the door of Rice- Eccles Stadium in a matchup that will give the victor a giant step forward and leave an alarmingly big hole for the team absorbing the loss to fall into. "TCU has no weaknesses and they are playing exceptional football in all three phases of the game," said U head coach Kyle Whittingham. "They are leading the conference in several categories and doing a lot of good things. They are a confident football team and are playing well." So how do the Utes prepare for possibly the most important game in school history and of Whittingham's career? Drape themselves in jet black and hope this game will bring the kind of success that will ripple throughout the national college football scene. "People want to see two good teams play, and that's what we have this week," said quarterback Brian Johnson. "You've got two good teams battling it out, and we'll see who comes out on top." BLACKOUT UTAH vs. TCU Rice-Eccles Stadium Thursday Nov. 6,2008 Kickoff at6:00 p.m. TV: CBS Sports RADIO: 700 The Zone The Utes, who are corning off a lessthan-impressive performance in Albuquerque, N.M., are retreading BYU's footsteps, as BYU also played the Lobos the week before taking on the Horned Frogs. After the Cougars' lackluster victory in Provo, they headed to Fort Worth, Texas, to face the No. 9 team in the nation. They quickly became an afterthought in Bowl Championship Series discussions, getting smoked by TCU 32-7. The forefront of the Utah game plan will be geared toward dealing with the TCU defense—something the Cougars failed to do. The Utes are aware this will probably be the best defense they will face all season. "They do some nice things defensively," Johnson said. "They do a good job at getting after the quarterback. We'll see what happens." While Johnson kept his thoughts on the humble side regarding the No. 2 overall defense, Whittingham seemed much more impressed about TCU's defense. "They have great speed on defense, they are similar to an SEC defense, speed-wise," Whittingham said. "Every aspect of their defensive core is strong. Pretty impressive." As Utah has struggled protecting Johnson this season, especially on blitzes, the offensive line has an amazing challenge ahead of it. Defensive end Jerry Hughes, a former 5eeTCU/3age/0 |
