10th-Ranked Utah Football Goes Into Bye Week 4-0

Sept. 28, 2015

Next Game

> No. 10/12 Utah (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) vs. No. 24/24 California (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12).
> Saturday, Oct. 10 • 8:00 p.m. MT, Rice-Eccles Stadium.
> Televised on ESPN.

In the Rankings

> Utah jumped eight spots to No. 10 in this week's AP rankings and five spots to No. 12 in the Coaches' poll after beating No. 13 Oregon, 62-20, in Eugene on Sept. 26.
> Utah received one first-place vote in the latest AP rankings-its first first-place vote since earning 16 in the final AP poll of 2008.
> The Sept. 27 poll marks the earliest Utah has ever cracked the top 10. The previous record was Oct. 3, 2010.
> Utah is ranked in the Top 25 for the fourth-straight week.
> Utah's win last week against No. 13 Oregon improved its record against ranked teams to 18-20 since 1994. For Utah's all-time ranking history, see pages 16-17.

Putting up 62 points on the Ducks earns @Utah_Football our @AutoNation National Team of the Week honor #DrivePink http://t.co/hGXJSIJVwY

- FWAA (@TheFWAA) September 28, 2015

Streaks

> Utah's 4-0 start is its best since opening the 2010 season with eight-straight wins.
> Utah is 1-0 to open its Pac-12 Conference schedule for the first time.
> Utah went 3-0 in non-conference play, beating Michigan, Utah State and Fresno State.

First-place votes in AP poll: • Ohio State: 45 • Ole Miss: 10 • Michigan State: 5 • Utah: 1

- SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 27, 2015

Standing Ovation

> Standing room tickets are all that remain for the Homecoming game. Standing room tickets may be purchased at 801-581-UTIX, UtahUtes.com and the Rice-Eccles Stadium box office.
> The Cal game will be Utah's 34th-consecutive home sellout dating back to the 2010 season opener.
> Of the 33-straight previous shutouts, 30 were played before standing-room only crowds, including a school-record 47,825 for this year's season-opener against Michigan.
> The largest crowd ever to attend a Ute home football game prior to Utah's 2011 entry into the Pac-12 was 46,768 for a 2003 win over California.

Top performers wk 4 Teams 1-Utah 2-UCLA 3-USC 4-Michigan 5-ECU Players 1-Boykin/Doctson 2-T.Wilson http://t.co/9QweG0IxFh 4-UCLA OL 5-C.Kirk

- Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 28, 2015

#UUThrowback

The Utes will wear throwback uniforms for their Homecoming game with Cal on Oct. 10. The interlocking UU logo on the throwback helmet, jerseys and pants is from the 1960s, the font for the numbers is from the 1970s and the stripes on the jerseys adorned Utah uniforms from the 1970s-1990s. The theme of this year's Homecoming is #UUThrowback. A complete calendar of Homecoming events sponsored by the Alumni Association can be found at http://ulink.utah.edu.

Statchat

Utah has allowed just one sack in its first four games, which is tied for third in the nation and leads the Pac-12 … Utah's 11 turnovers gained is tied for third in the nation and the Utes are tied for fourth nationally (first in the Pac-12) in turnover margin, averaging 1.75 turnovers gained per game (11 gained, 4 lost) … Utah ranks fifth in the nation in net punting (43.87). Reigning Ray Guy Award winner and consensus All-American Tom Hackett is averaging 47.8 yards a punt (15 punts, 717 yards) and opponents have returned just three of them for 19 yards … The Utes are one of three teams in the nation with two punt return touchdowns. Utah is ranked 11th in the nation (second in the Pac-12) in punt return average (21.80, 10 returns for 218 yards) … Utah leads the Pac-12 and ranks 12th in the nation in kickoff return average (29.60, five returns for 148 yards) … Utah is tied for sixth in the nation and the Pac-12 lead with two defensive touchdowns (1 interception return, 1 fumble return) … With seven interceptions, Utah is tied for eighth in the nation (tied for second in the Pac-12) … The Utes are 8-of-9 in fourth-down conversions for an 88.9 conversion percentage, which is eighth in the nation and leads the Pac-12 … Utah is tied for 10th in the nation in pass completion percentage (70.8 percent, 80-of-113) … Utah's five touchdown passes at Oregon, which included a 25-yard TD pass by running back Devontae Booker, ties for the most TD passes in a single game in the Pac-12 this season.

New Turf

The installation of new FieldTurf in Rice-Eccles Stadium is expected to be completed no later than Oct. 5. The project began after Utah's last home game on Sept. 11. It is Rice-Eccles Stadium's third rendition of FieldTurf, which was initially installed in 2002 and replaced in 2009. The new turf features CoolPlay cork infill, which FieldTurf laboratory tests show is 35 degrees cooler than traditional sand/rubber systems.

"There is a genuine love between the coaching staff and the players." @UtahCoachWhitt at today's press conference. #utahfootballfamily

- Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 28, 2015

'Winningham'

With Utah's win over Oregon on Sept. 26, Kyle Whittingham became the second-winningest coach in Utah football history with an 89-43 record-breaking a tie with Ron McBride (88-63 from 1990-2002). Whittingham stands behind Ike Armstrong, who was 141-55-15 from 1925-49. Including 11 years as a Utah assistant, Whittingham has participated in 174 wins, which is the most by any individual in school history.

Congrats to Travis Wilson and Tom Hackett, @pac12 Off. and Special Teams Players of the Week! @Utah_Football #goutes pic.twitter.com/9ROiveQ18p

- Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) September 28, 2015

Two-Minute Drill

Travis Wilson and Tom Hackett were named the offensive and special teams Pac-12 Players of the Week for their roles in Utah's 62-20 upset of Oregon on Sept. 26. It was the first weekly award this season for both players and the second career award for Wilson and third career award for Hackett. Utah has now won five Pac-12 Player of the Week citations in the first four weeks. The others were Justin Thomas (defense vs. Michigan), Gionni Paul (defense vs. Utah State) and Cory Butler-Byrd (special teams vs. Fresno State) … Hackett also won Utah's first national weekly award of the season on Sept. 28 when he was named the Ray Guy Award Player of the Week. It was his fourth career Ray Guy weekly award … Utah is 0-3 in homecoming games against Pac-12 teams since joining the conference in 2011, losing to Washington (2011), Oregon State (2013) and Washington State (2014). The Utes are 11-12-1 all-time against Pac-12 schools in homecoming games (0-0 vs. Cal) and 57-33-4 overall … All four of Utah's games to date have been night games … The Utes have scored on 16-of-17 red zone opportunities this season with 12 touchdowns (71%) and five field goals … Utah's best quarter is the third, where it has scored 49 points and relinquished just seven.

In the Huddle

Expected to return to action against Cal after missing the last two games is starting left end Hunter Dimick … Junior college transfer Cory Butler-Byrd played both ways against Oregon and also had a 16-yard kickoff return. Butler-Byrd, who started at cornerback in the first three games, checked in at both corner and receiver against the Ducks … Tom Hackett has moved into a tie for the most 50+-yard punts in a career at Utah with 51, matching Sean Sellwood (51 from 2009-12) … With 1,955 career rushing yards, Devontae Booker needs just 45 more to become the 13th player in school history to rush for 2,000 yards … Three players have completed passes (Travis Wilson, Kendal Thompson and Devontae Booker) and four (Wilson, Thompson, Booker and Chase Hansen) have attempted a pass … Five true freshmen have played: Britain Covey, Tyrone Smith, Cody Barton, Austin Lee and Caleb Repp. Covey and Smith are starters.

Utah #1?! Utah #1, says @BruceFeldmanCFB. Here's his CFB Top 10: pic.twitter.com/yRzllga8NN

- America's Pregame (@AmericasPregame) September 28, 2015

Upcoming Events

Recent Results