Defensive cupboard far from bare

Utah's defense had quite a performance in the Fiesta Bowl — racking up nine sacks and limiting Pittsburgh to just 17 yards rushing in 30 attempts. The only points the Utes surrendered in the victory came in the third quarter when they were up by four touchdowns.

"Our front has been strong all year long and we have won the line of scrimmage battle virtually every game this year. We had a good idea we matched up pretty well," head coach Kyle Whittingham said after his final game as defensive coordinator. "We are a high-pressure team and we got off the bus blitzing, ended up with nine sacks, and I cannot give enough credit to our defensive personnel. They executed the game plan flawlessly — an incredible performance and a great way to finish the season."

Junior nose guard Steve Fifita was named Defensive Player of the Game for spearheading a consistent rush up front. Sophomore safety Eric Weddle finished with a game-high 11 tackles to give the Utes another reason to be optimistic next season.

Under Whittingham's direction, Utah's defense has ranked among the best in the Mountain West Conference on a yearly basis. Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen, who faced the defense in practice every day for two years as Utah's quarterbacks coach, said the Utes simply reload on that side of the ball. No need to rebuild, the scheme has passed the test of time.

After 10 seasons as defensive coordinator, Whittingham has turned the reins over to Gary Andersen. The former Southern Utah head coach drew praise from Urban Meyer for his work with the defensive line. Fifita and senior tackle Sione Pouha were named first-team all-conference in 2004.

A look at the Utah defense next season, by position:

DEFENSIVE LINE

Starters returning: Marquess Ledbetter, Kite Afeaki, Steve Fifita

Starters lost: Sione Pouha, Tevita Kemoeatu, Jonathan Fanene.

Others lost: Reza Williams.

Others returning: Martail Burnette, Kelly Talavou.

The Utes have some big shoes to fill with the departure of Sione Pouha, a team captain and an emotional leader of the team. They got a taste of life without the former East High star when he missed most of three games with an injury. In those contests, Utah's rush defense swelled from 120.8 yards per game to 233.