Upcoming Event: Football versus Idaho on September 3, 2026

9/3/2007 12:00 AM | Football
Sept. 3, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
![]()
Download Free Acrobat Reader
SALT LAKE CITY --
> Utah (0-1, 0-0 MWC) holds its first home game of the season, hosting Air Force (1-0, 0-0 MWC) this Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time in Rice-Eccles Stadium. Tickets are available at UtahUtes.com, 801-581-UTIX and the box office at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The game will be televised live on the Mtn., which can now be viewed in Southern Utah (St. George metro area) on Baja Broadband.
> Utah lost preseason all-conference quarterback Brian Johnson (shoulder) and running back Matt Asiata (broken leg) in its loss to Oregon State last Thursday. Johnson is expected to miss 3-5 weeks while Asiata is done for the season.
> Utah has never played a Mountain West Conference game this early in the season. Games against New Mexico on Sept. 3, 1983 and Sept. 5, 1987 were prior to the formation of the MWC.
> Four of the last six games between Utah and Air Force have been decided by a field goal or less. Among them: a 45-43 triple overtime Ute victory in 2003 and last year's 17-14 Ute win that was decided on a 37-yard Louie Sakoda field goal with no time remaining. For more on the series, please see page 2.
> Utah has won 75-percent of its home season openers (83-28-1).
LAST WEEK
Quarterback Brian Johnson and running back Matt Asiata both suffered first half injuries - Johnson to his throwing arm and Asiata to a broken leg - and Oregon State pulled away for a 24-7 victory. Utah scored first when Johnson found Brent Casteel for a 36-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter. Sophomore cornerback Sean Smith set up the score with an interception on the OSU 34-yard line. Smith, in his first career start, finished with two picks. Johnson completed 8-of-13 passes for 119 yards (1 TD) before leaving the field on Utah's last offensive series of the half. Tommy Grady played the rest of the way - completing 9-of-24 passes for 59 yards. Without Asiata (4 rushes for 16 yards), Utah suffered a terrible night rushing - gaining just 18 yards. Kyle Brady's eight tackles led a Ute defense that wore down in the second half after holding OSU to seven points and 126 total yards in the first half.