Utah Utes football: Special teams, defense lead Utes to 7-0 record

"We had one goal coming in," quarterback Brian Johnson said after 13th-ranked Utah's 40-7 over Wyoming. "Get out of here 7-0 and that's what we did."

The Utes prevailed by scoring in a variety of ways — rushing, passing, kicking and off a blocked kick, an interception return and a fumble recovery.

"Overall a positive day," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, whose team heads into next week's home game against Colorado State without a loss in seven games.

Absolute perfection, however, still eludes the Utes.

"I think we're headed in the right direction. We still haven't played a complete game as far as hitting on all cylinders in all phases," Whittingham said. "Not many teams do that through the course of a season as it's not the easy thing to do. They've been finding ways to win and they've handled adversity well. But we have not played our best football as a team to this point."

Utah jumped out to an early 10-0 lead despite a slow start by the offense. The Utes had just 38 yards and two first downs in the opening quarter. Johnson said the swirling winds limited play calling early on.

Things eventually settled down, but the defense and special teams made significant contributions first.

"I think we played well in all three phases," Johnson said. "It was unbelievable winds out there."

Cornerback Sean Smith produced the first points for Utah. He intercepted a pass by Wyoming quarterback Karsten Sween, which was tipped by defensive end Paul Kruger, and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown less than four minutes into the game.

"That was huge," Whittingham said. "No doubt that set the tone right there."

Louie Sakoda followed with the PAT and later added a 50-yard field goal to extend the Utes' lead.

Between scores, Utah safety Joe Dale forced another turnover. Wyoming's Darius Terry fumbled the ball after getting by Dale and Robert Johnson recovered it for the Utes.

The defense shined in the first quarter, holding the Cowboys to only one first down.

Utah's mastery extended into the second.

Although the offense continued to stall (128 yards and seven first downs at halftime), the Utes made up for it with stellar play in the other phases. In a span of 56 seconds, they put 10 more points on the board. A 39-yard field goal by Sakoda got things started. Aiona Key capped the outburst by blocking a punt by Wyoming's Austin McCoy and returning it five yards for a touchdown.

Leading 20-0, Utah's defense set up another scoring drive before the half. On Wyoming's next possession, Derrick Shelby tipped a pass by Sween and defensive line mate Greg Newman picked it off it on the Ute 37.

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