The bottom line, however, is tied to point production. And after back-to-back 13-10 wins over New Mexico and TCU, the Utes will likely need to put more points on the board to succeed in season-ending games against San Diego State and BYU.

"We understand that. We've just got to go out and find a way to make the plays and put ourselves in the end zone," Johnson said. "I think we had a couple of missed opportunities the last two weeks, especially against TCU. We got in some situations where we lost some yardage in the red zone and ended up having to settle for field goals, or knocking us out of field-goal range."

The lack of touchdowns this month, however, hasn't led anyone to push the panic button.

"Not at all, because we're scoring enough to win. We know we have a great defense and we know we need to score points — and we do, most of the time," Johnson said. "It's just a situation where we've got to make a conscious effort to get into the end zone."

Whittingham isn't overly concerned, either.

The Utes have put points on the board. They're averaging 33.8 points per game, third-most in the conference and 23rd-best in the nation.

"We would like to score a few more points. The TCU defense was a huge reason for our lack of production this past week, and I thought New Mexico played well against us defensively," Whittingham said. "Still, we've got to move the ball and get in the end zone. But you look at the big picture — you judge the season and look at the offense as a whole — and we're still doing a nice job.

"You're never where you want to be," he added. "You're always trying to get better."

San Diego State may be just what Utah needs to get its point production back on track. The Aztecs give up an average of 36.2 points per game, ranking last in the MWC and 110th in the nation.

EXTRA POINTS: Utah's 11-game winning streak, which dates back to last season, is the second-longest active streak in the nation — tied with Alabama and one game behind Texas Tech's current 12-game run. ... Whittingham is a candidate for the George Munger, Bobby Dodd and Paul "Bear" Bryant national coach of the year awards. ... Rainy weather forced the Utes to practice indoors Monday afternoon.

Utes on the air

No. 8 Utah (10-0, 6-0) at San Diego State (1-9, 0-6)

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego

Saturday, 6 p.m.

TV: The mtn.

Radio: 700 AM

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E-mail: dirk@desnews.com