Utah didn't really catch a break when Oregon defensive tackle Haloti Ngata suffered a season-ending knee on Aug. 30. The Utes will still have their hands full against the 19th-ranked Ducks Friday night.

"They must grow them on trees," Utah coach Urban Meyer said. "They've got another one in there that looks just like him."

Two as a matter of fact.

Robby Valenzuela and strongman Igor Olshansky more than fill the sizable hole left by Ngata, a first-team freshman all-America who made 44 tackles in 2002 after graduating from Salt Lake City's Highland High.

The juniors, who stand 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-6, respectively, bring a combined 606 pounds of weight to the left tackle spot Ngata (6-4, 339) occupied.

They'll pose a considerable threat to Utah quarterback Alex Smith. He's been sacked just once this season — 15 fewer times than Oregon's opponents through five games.

The Ducks, however, realize the disparity has a lot to do with Utah's unpredictable spread offense.

"They're a little bit like Northwestern or West Virginia — an open attack, some no-huddle and their quarterback is a viable runner," said Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, who is anticipating a full compliment of inside shovel passes and reverses designed to force the Ducks to cover the entire width of the field. "Watching them earlier, they have a great running back (Brandon Warfield) and a great quarterback. I think they are a very good team."

How good? Friday's game may hold an answer for both teams. Utah (3-1) and Oregon (4-1) were on opposite ends of the turnover spectrum last weekend. The Utes capitalized on six turnovers to edge Colorado State 28-21, while the Ducks fell victim to nine miscues (seven interceptions and two fumbles) and a pair of blocked punts in a stunning 55-16 home loss to Washington State.

"I told them after the game that we were going to toss this game where it belongs and that's in the garbage. We probably won't watch it. We'll flush it and we'll move on," Bellotti said. "It's still about the Ducks right now. It's not about who we play. It's about taking care of our house and the business within. We'll probably select about 15 plays to learn from, but that's about it."

Eager to restore order, Oregon's focus this week is very much internal. Comparing it with a bout with food poisoning, Bellotti said the Ducks visit Utah with a sense of urgency to get the bad taste of last week's loss out of their mouths.

"We're looking forward," he explained. "Because we don't want to look back."