U. glad to have another Smith

Utah cornerback Ryan Smith had a memorable college football debut.

The redshirt freshman had three tackles, including a quarterback sack, in the Utes' 41-21 win over Texas A&M on Thursday.

"It was awesome," said Smith. "I enjoyed every moment of it."

The slight 5-foot-9, 159-pounder from Diamond Bar, Calif., was the focal point of a postgame comment by head coach Urban Meyer. He said one of the Utah's keys to victory was being able to cover fast receivers with a freshman.

"Pretty good recruiting," Meyer smiled.

Though Smith felt relaxed by the time he brought down Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal in the second quarter, there was a time when things were a bit nerve-racking. Facing a Big 12 Conference opponent before a packed house at Rice-Eccles Stadium with ESPN cameras rolling can do that to a guy.

Fortunately for Smith, who started, he was prepared for it.

"When I got out there it was just like I'd been out there before," said Smith, who recalled something his coaches and teammate Eric Weddle told him about a freshman's first series being the most difficult. "After that, after you start sweating and get wet, you'll be fine."

Smith also credits Utah's fans, especially The Muss, for helping him feel comfortable on the field. He focused on playing his game and using the techniques he learned from his coaches.

It worked. The highlight of which came in the second quarter when Smith sacked McNeal.

"They have great players, and I just tried my hardest and everything went well," he said. "I thought we did a very good job. That's what we expect to do every week."

Utah's defense limited Texas A&M to just 4-of-16 passing and 67 yards of total offense while building an insurmountable 27-0 lead late in the second quarter.

QB DEBUTS: On a day when Alex Smith threw for a career-high 359 yards, he lost the distinction of being Utah's only current quarterback with Division I experience.

Backups Brian Johnson and Fano Tagovailoa saw action, albeit limited, in the season opener. Johnson completed an 11-yard pass and Tagovailoa gained 7 yards on two runs in their brief appearances.

"It was great to get them in, to get their feet wet in a game," said quarterbacks coach Dan Mullen. "I think it kind of gave them some confidence to step on the field and make plays without a tremendous amount of pressure for them to carry the team at that point."

The experience, he added, doesn't necessarily make them experienced.

"They have very little, but they've taken a snap," said Mullen. "The biggest thing you don't want is for their first snap to be in a situation where they have to go win the game."

EXTRA POINTS: The 19th-ranked Utes held a light practice Saturday morning . . . Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford and his family hit the road for Saturday afternoon's game between Boise State and Idaho. Sanford's son, Mike, is a Boise State quarterback . . . Weddle's injured left knee (sprained MCL) isn't as serious as initially feared. Even so, he's not expected to play in Saturday's game at Arizona.

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E-mail: dirk@desnews.com