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Fresh off their first loss of the season, the 15th-ranked Utah Utes get back to action this weekend against Notre Dame in non-conference action.
Notre Dame's about to double its surprising 14-point first-quarter output, and they're doing it against a team that, until last week, could lay a legitimate claim to a major BCS bowl bid. The outstandingly-named Shaky Smithson fumbles the opening kickoff return, and Tommy Rees hits Duval Kamara for a 26-yard touchdown pass on the first play for the Irish.
Starting with second down, here's what the Utes do: no-gain pass from Jordan Wynn, 25-yard pass completion, sack, 3-yard pass, incomplete pass. They can't seem to find anything that's consistently viable on offense, and the Utes punt it away.
Tommy Rees again makes short work of a Notre Dame possession, building on a 16-yard Cierre Wood first-down run with a 24-yard pass to Michael Floyd. On the next second down, Rees hits Kamara again for a 12-yard touchdown pass.
The Utes fritter away their next drive with seven straight Matt Asiata rushes, which moves the ball but also eats a ton of clock. Two incomplete passes, including one on 4th-and-8, end Utah's time of possession, and Notre Dame puts it on the ground for five Wood runs to end the third quarter. With 15 minutes remaining in the game, Notre Dame leads No. 15 Utah, 28-3.
The second quarter begins on the tail end of a Utah drive, as the Utes punt with 14:45 remaining in the half. 15 yards' worth of further Ute penalties on Notre Dame's ensuing possession help get the Irish in position for a three-yard TD pass from Tommy Rees to Michael Floyd, and Kyle Whittingham's pack of players just looks like a hot mess in South Bend.
These penalties may very well end up being the story of the day. Three separate five-yarders force another Utes punt at midfield. Wood and Rees seem to be all the Irish have, and they get nowhere on their next series. Jordan Wynn can't seem to complete a pass, but at least the Utes are getting sacks to stem off a complete Irish onslaught.
And that's all the action we'll see, for now. As we approach the end of the first half in South Bend, Utah has 119 yards of offense and 65 yards of penalties. Notre Dame leads, 14-3.
A slow first quarter in South Bend has to be exasperating for Utah fans who came in expecting fireworks and validation after last week's epic faceplant against TCU. The Irish lean early on Cierre Wood, whose four consecutive carries comprised Notre Dame's entire first offensive series.
Penalties kill Utah's first offensive series, and the Utes settle for a 47-yard field goal. Tommy Rees is your latest starting quarterback for Notre Dame, and he and Wood combine for another three-and-out.
The Irish are about to get it back, however, as Jordan Wynn is intercepted at Utah's 49-yard line. A sack on first down pushes Notre Dame far back enough to force another three-and-out. Utah goes 13 yards on its next drive and gets a punt blocked for a 10-yard touchdown by Robert Blanton. The Utes return the ensuing kickoff for 43 yards, and commit a 10-yard penalty. A pattern is emerging here, and it's not a pretty one.
At the end of the first quarter, Notre Dame leads No. 15 Utah, 7-3.
In the wake of Week 10's devastating loss to TCU, SB Nation's Block U issues a mandate to the program: Regroup and win out.
This season was not lost Saturday. No, there won't be a BCS bowl game. No, the Utes aren't going to win the Mountain West title in their final season - but they still can finish 12-1. That would easily be considered one of the greatest seasons in Utah football history.
They still have a lot to play for these last four games.
That's what what we've got to remember here. As tough as Saturday was, and it certainly tops the list of bad losses I've seen, there are some considerable achievements left for this team.
The first is a win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Though extremely tarnished this season, the possibility of beating the most prestigious program in college football should still excite fans. I'm excited to watch Utah travel to South Bend and leave with a victory.
(Sports Network) Fresh off their first loss of the season, the 15th-ranked Utah Utes get back to action this weekend against Notre Dame in non-conference action.
Utah began the season with eight consecutive victories, six of which came by double figures. If the team was able to knock off fellow unbeaten TCU last weekend, a berth in the national title game would have remained a possibility. Unfortunately, the Utes will not be BCS bound in January, as they were crushed by the Horned Frogs, 47-7, in front of a shocked home crowd.
"TCU thoroughly outplayed us today and it was not even close," said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. "The score was not indicative of how lopsided this game was. They were better at every phase of the game and credit goes to their team."
Brian Kelly was brought in to change the fortunes of the Notre Dame program, but his first year as head coach has yielded more of the same for fans of the Fighting Irish. The club is a disappointing 4-5 and will need to finish strong just to become bowl eligible. The last two outings have resulted in losses to Navy and Tulsa, proof of how bad things have gotten in South Bend.
"The most important thing still is for us to get to six wins," said coach Kelly. "We got to win two out of three now. That's our number one goal, to win two out of three games minimally to get to six wins."
This game marks the first-ever meeting between Utah and Notre Dame on the gridiron.
Despite the effort last weekend, Utah is still averaging 41.0 ppg and 421.8 total ypg, impressive numbers for an offense that has gotten the job done with both the run and the pass this year. The ground attack accounts for 175.9 ypg at a clip of 5.2 ypc, and 23 of the 44 offensive touchdowns scored by the Utes have been of the rushing variety. Eddie Wide leads the way with nine rushing scores, and his 523 yards are tops as well. Jordan Wynn has taken the majority of the snaps for Utah, and he has completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,579 yards and 14 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
Sure, Utah was victimized for 47 points last weekend by TCU, but that effort was not indicative of the play of the club's defense for much of this season. The Utes are only allowing 17.8 ppg and 300.0 total ypg, impressive numbers by any standards. They are particularly tough against the run, limiting foes to 110.0 ypg at a clip of 3.1 yards per carry. Utah has recorded 23 sacks, a solid total, but the club has forced a modest number of turnovers (14). Chaz Walker has 79 total tackles to his credit, including six TFLs, and Lamar Chapman has posted 5.5 sacks.
The numbers from last week's game are downright absurd. Utah finished with 199 total yards and turned the ball over four times. Meanwhile, TCU was able to rack up 558 yards while committing just one giveaway. The Utes did a solid job against the run, but they permitted 22-of-27 passes to be completed for 381 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
Wynn struggled mightily under center, completing only 16-of-35 passes for 148 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. The signal caller also lost a fumble.
"I had three turnovers and that can't happen against such a good team," said a disappointed Wynn after the game.
Notre Dame has been a mediocre offensive team for much of this season, and things are about to get much worse. It is difficult to see the Fighting Irish maintain their 26.0 ppg and 402.0 total ypg without starting quarterback Dayne Crist, who is out for the season with a leg injury, and starting tailback Armando Allen, who is out indefinitely with an injured hip. Second-leading receiver Theo Riddick remains sidelined as well.
Crist completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 2,033 yards and 15 touchdowns with seven interceptions through nine games. He now gives way to Tommy Rees, the team's backup, who tossed an interception at the end of the Tulsa game that crushed the team's chances for victory. Rees' best move would be to throw the ball to wideout Michael Floyd as much as possible. Floyd has 55 catches for 728 yards and eight scores.
"We have to keep fighting, making the corrections when we watch the film," said Floyd after the Tulsa loss. "We have to make sure we're not making those mistakes next time.
Notre Dame entered that game against the Golden Hurricane allowing 24.9 ppg and 393.1 total ypg. and the defense played quite well, surrendering just one touchdown to the Tulsa offense. Unfortunately, the Golden Hurricane scored on an interception return and a punt return. Toss in a blocked PAT return and it isn't hard to figure out why Notre Dame lost.
Rees threw for 334 yards and four touchdowns against Tulsa, but his three interceptions proved costly.
The edge goes to Utah in this game, as Notre Dame is battered and has gone through a lot both on and off the field.
Utah Vs. Notre Dame: Utes Fall In South Bend, 28-3
For their last act of Week 11, Notre Dame seems content to sit on their hands and their lead. Their first drive of the fourth quarter remains the Cierre-Wood-and-Tommy-Rees show, and they convert one set of downs but punt with 12:50 remaining in the game.
Utah takes to the air, an unfortunate necessity for a team playing catch-up, since Jordan Wynn and open receivers can't seem to connect via football this afternoon with any sort of consistency. He hits Shaky Smithson for 13 yards, Luke Matthews for nine, and Jereme Brooks for 20 over the course of a five-minute drive that runs from Utah's 23-yard line to Notre Dame's 15 and ends on an incomplete 4th-down Wynn throw.
The Irish unwisely try another three-and-out just to throw the Utes off track, but Utah can't make anything of their remaining four minutes, and Notre Dame gives it to Robert Hughes to wind down the clock. Final score from South Bend: Notre Dame 28, Utah 3.
Nov 13 5:52p by Holly Anderson - 0 comments