Weddle evolves into a leader

Eric Weddle is constantly evolving.

When he was a freshman, explains Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen, Weddle was a new kid on the block who took time over players who had been in the program for two or three years.

"It was a little bit hard," Andersen said. "But he handled that his first year."

Weddle started nine games, forced four fumbles and made 60 tackles to earn Freshman All-America honors as a cornerback. As a sophomore, Weddle moved over to his natural position at safety — teaming with senior Morgan Scalley to form one of the nation's top tandems. He made 75 tackles and intercepted four passes. In the Fiesta Bowl victory over Pittsburgh, Weddle made a career-high 11 stops.

"He was a solid performer," Andersen said.

Now, as a junior, Weddle has added another element to his game — leadership.

"That's probably what I've seen develop the most in the last two or three weeks," Andersen said. "He's starting to accept that leadership role."

Though he excelled in victories over Arizona, Utah State and Air Force, Weddle's most notable moment may have come after Utah's overtime loss at TCU. While many of the Utes sat with heads down outside the locker room — stunned that the program's 18-game winning streak was over — Weddle was out there encouraging them to get up and go inside.

"Get up and go battle at it again. That's how he is," Andersen said. "He's going to face adversity and he's going to take the good with the bad."

Early success, he added, hasn't stopped Weddle from becoming a dominant and better player.

Weddle opened the 2005 season with 10 tackles and an interception return for a touchdown in a 27-24 win over Arizona. The performance earned him Mountain West Conference Player of the Week recognition. Before the month of September was complete, Weddle had racked up 29 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, three interceptions and a fumble recovery as Utah got off to a 3-1 start.

For his efforts, Weddle is the Deseret Morning News' Athlete of the Month.

"A good choice. He had a great month," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "He's been a playmaker for us now for the last three years. He's someone we can count on week in and week out to play at a championship level."

Weddle is already making a strong bid to repeat. He made a career-high 12 tackles, including three behind the line of scrimmage, in the Oct. 1 setback at North Carolina.