Utes winning battles in trenches

Utah defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham doesn't mince any words when it comes to starters Steve Fifita and Sione Pouha.

"They're the best tackles in the Mountain West Conference. They're both playing excellent football right now," he said. "We have not lost the line of scrimmage in any of our games. With those two guys, coupled with Jon Fanene, we expect to win the line of scrimmage every single week. That's just a given for us."

Through four games this season, Fifita and Pouha have combined for 39 tackles, including eight behind the line of scrimmage, and five sacks. Both players are on pace to post their best seasons statistically.

"It's still early, but they're playing like all-conference players," said Utah coach Urban Meyer, who strongly encouraged the pair to reach their potential this season. "I think they're close, but I think they could be as good as anybody in the country. I love those two kids. They're being great leaders. They're being great players."

And best of all, Meyer adds, is they can get even better.

In last week's win over Air Force, Utah's men in the middle made significant contributions. Pouha, a 6-foot-3, 330-pound senior captain, racked up a career-high 13 tackles and two sacks. A week earlier in Arizona, the former East High star recorded his first interception.

Fifita, a 6-foot, 311-pound junior, made a career-best nine stops. He currently leads Utah with five tackles-for-loss and three sacks.

"We're finally starting to play up to our potential, but that's just one game," said the soft-spoken Californian. "We're going to try to keep it up all year, and we'll try to lead the team."

Air Force's dive schemes and numerous pass plays created opportunities for Fifita and Pouha to shine Saturday.

The strong duo, who can each squat 630 pounds and are nearly able to bench press 500 pounds, take game preparation seriously. They spend a considerable amount of time in the film room.

Pouha credits much of their improvement to a better understanding of the defense.

"We know what our roles are. I think we're so comfortable with the schemes we can make our own adjustments and still know that we won't be able to hurt the scheme," said Pouha. "We can make those adjustments on the field that can kind of help us."

The return of defensive line coach Gary Andersen has also been a great benefit.