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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Football Team to Play Friday in Louisville
10/1/2007 12:00 AM | Football
Oct. 1, 2007
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> Utah (2-3, 0-2 MWC) travels to Louisville, Ky., for a Friday game against Louisville (3-2, 0-1 BIG EAST). The game will be televised live on ESPN starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (6:00 p.m. MT) from Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
> Utah leads the series with Louisville 2-0, including a 1-0 mark in Louisville. The Utes' only visit to Louisville was in 1997, when they played in the old Cardinal Stadium. More series information can be found on page 2.
> Utah is 5-0 all-time against current BIG EAST schools. The last time Utah faced a BIG EAST opponent was in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl (2004 season). Utah beat Pittsburgh 35-7 in that game to complete a 12-0 season.
> Utah's Kyle Whittingham and Louisville's Steve Kragthorpe have coached against each other once previously - last December in the Armed Forces Bowl when Kragthorpe coached at Tulsa. Utah won 25-13.
> Utah is 7-7 in ESPN televised games (7-1 since 2002). The Utes are 17-8 all-time in Friday games.
> Utah is 2-1 in non-conference games this season, beating No. 11 UCLA (44-6) and Utah State (34-18), and losing to Oregon State (24-7).
LAST WEEK
Darrell Mack rushed for a career-high 132 yards, Derrek Richards returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown, and Steve Tate totaled 13 tackles to lead Utah to a 34-18 victory over Utah State. The Aggies drew first blood - taking a 7-0 first-quarter lead - but Utah evened the score on the next possession when Brian Johnson found freshman Jereme Brooks in the end zone on a 22-yard pass play. Richards put the Utes ahead - a lead they never relinquished - with his career-long punt return. Utah State got within four (14-10) on a field goal before Utah reeled off 10 unanswered points to take control. Johnson threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Marquis Wilson, and Louie Sakoda finished off a 17-point second quarter with a 31-yard field goal. Mack put the Utes on the board in the third quarter on a 3-yard run and Sakoda booted a 39-yard field goal in the fourth. Utah State scored with 2:33 remaining, then recovered an onside kick and advanced to the Utah 13-yard line before Tate caught an Aggie receiver behind the line on fourth and five.
RICHARDS MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Derrek Richards was named the MWC Special Teams Player of the week on Oct. 1 after collecting 135 yards in punt returns, including a 75-yard touchdown run that gave Utah its first lead of the game, 14-7. Richards, who averaged 33.75 yards on four punt returns, became the first Ute to return a punt for a touchdown since 2000. It is tied for the seventh longest punt return in school history. His 135 yards in punt returns is the third-best single-game mark in school history and the fourth best in MWC history.
KYLE STYLE
Kyle Whittingham is 17-13 in his third year as Utah's head coach and a perfect 2-0 in bowl games. This is his 14th season on the Ute staff: He spent 11 years as an assistant coach (defensive line coach in 2004 and defensive coordinator from 1995-2004), before accepting the head job on Dec. 8, 2004. A month after his appointment, he served as the co-head coach in Utah's 35-7 Fiesta Bowl victory over Pittsburgh - capping a 12-0 season. Whittingham's first game as the head coach was on Sept. 2, 2005 -a 27-24 win over Arizona. As a head or assistant coach, Whittingham has taken part in 101 victories and 51 losses at Utah.
INSIDE THE HUDDLE
After allowing 10 sacks in the first three games, the Utes allowed just one against both UNLV and Utah State ... Utah started four current or former walk-ons against Utah State: receiver Derrek Richards, linebacker Malakai Mokofisi, strong safety Steve Tate and free safety RJ Rice. All but Rice are now on scholarship ... Zeke Tuinei-Wily, a defensive tackle-turned offensive tackle, moved back to the defense last week. Tuinei-Wily was the only backup offensive lineman who had seen any significant playing time (50 plays, 3 knockdowns in the first four games) ... Eight true freshmen have played for the Utes this season: Nai Fotu, Dallin Rogers, Lei Talamaivao, Eddie Wide, Jereme Brooks, Jamel King, Justin Taplin-Ross and Corbin Louks.
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