Utah
2nd Mountain West10-2
Notre Dame
2nd IA-INDEPENDENTS7-5
Utah @ Notre Dame preview
Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame and Utah meet for the first time this Saturday. Last week, TCU beat the Utes 47-7 in Salt Lake City, ending a 21-game home winning streak. Both teams went into the game undefeated, but the Horned Frogs limited Utah’s offense to only 199 yards. The Irish, under first-year coach Brian Kelly, are 4-5.
Notre Dame goes into the Utah game with three starters out, all injured in the Irish 28-27 loss to Tulsa two weeks ago. Quarterback Dayne Crist, who had thrown for over 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns, has a ruptured knee tendon. Leading rusher Armando Allen and defensive lineman Ian Williams also suffered injuries against the Golden Hurricane and are out for the season.
Freshman Tommy Rees will get the start at quarterback for the Irish, having relieved Crist in the first quarter against Tulsa. The 18-year-old threw for over 300 yards, but was intercepted three times. Replacing Allen will be sophomore tailback Cierre Wood, who has rushed for 274 yards. Michael Floyd is the leading receiver for the Irish with 55 receptions in eight games for 728 yards and eight touchdowns.
The depleted Irish defense, in a new 3-4 look, has given up an average of 393 yards in total offense. Additionally, opposing quarterbacks have hit on 64 percent of their passes against the Notre Dame defense. The Irish will be tested by Utah sophomore quarterback Jordan Wynn, who has thrown for 1,579 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham is now in his sixth season with an overall 56-18 record including 8-1 this season. After being the team’s defensive coordinator for a decade, Whittingham was promoted in 2005 after Urban Meyer left for Florida. Whittingham was national coach of the year in 2008 as his Utes went 13-0 and defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Next fall, Utah will be joining the new Pac-12 Conference.
Against TCU, the Utes never got on track and Wynn was limited to 16 completions for only 148 yards. Even after the loss to the Horned Frogs, Utah is still averaging 41 points per game while giving up only 17. Its high-powered offense is averaging 422 yards in total offense and the team's two leading rushers — Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata — have combined for 1,038 yards. Utah also boasts the nation’s leader in punt returns, Shaky Smithson, who is averaging 22.8 yards per return and has scored twice.
Notre Dame’s vulnerable pass defense is the question. Will the Irish be able to stop the ninth ranked scoring offense in the nation?
Notre Dame goes into the Utah game with three starters out, all injured in the Irish 28-27 loss to Tulsa two weeks ago. Quarterback Dayne Crist, who had thrown for over 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns, has a ruptured knee tendon. Leading rusher Armando Allen and defensive lineman Ian Williams also suffered injuries against the Golden Hurricane and are out for the season.
Freshman Tommy Rees will get the start at quarterback for the Irish, having relieved Crist in the first quarter against Tulsa. The 18-year-old threw for over 300 yards, but was intercepted three times. Replacing Allen will be sophomore tailback Cierre Wood, who has rushed for 274 yards. Michael Floyd is the leading receiver for the Irish with 55 receptions in eight games for 728 yards and eight touchdowns.
The depleted Irish defense, in a new 3-4 look, has given up an average of 393 yards in total offense. Additionally, opposing quarterbacks have hit on 64 percent of their passes against the Notre Dame defense. The Irish will be tested by Utah sophomore quarterback Jordan Wynn, who has thrown for 1,579 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham is now in his sixth season with an overall 56-18 record including 8-1 this season. After being the team’s defensive coordinator for a decade, Whittingham was promoted in 2005 after Urban Meyer left for Florida. Whittingham was national coach of the year in 2008 as his Utes went 13-0 and defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Next fall, Utah will be joining the new Pac-12 Conference.
Against TCU, the Utes never got on track and Wynn was limited to 16 completions for only 148 yards. Even after the loss to the Horned Frogs, Utah is still averaging 41 points per game while giving up only 17. Its high-powered offense is averaging 422 yards in total offense and the team's two leading rushers — Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata — have combined for 1,038 yards. Utah also boasts the nation’s leader in punt returns, Shaky Smithson, who is averaging 22.8 yards per return and has scored twice.
Notre Dame’s vulnerable pass defense is the question. Will the Irish be able to stop the ninth ranked scoring offense in the nation?