Utah Utes football: U. expects tough AFA challenge

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — It's a hurdle — and a big one at that.

When 20th-ranked Utah faces Air Force this afternoon at Falcon Stadium, something will have to give. The winner will leave the field with a 4-0 record (2-0 in league play) and sole possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference.

For the Utes, there's the added incentive to keep their Bowl Championship Series hopes alive and avenge a 20-12 setback last season in Salt Lake City.

"It'll be a very good challenge for us," said defensive coordinator Gary Andersen, who is scheming to slow an Air Force option that averages 358 yards per game on the ground.

Aside from a couple of days in the spring and one day in fall camp, the Utes have had just a week to prepare for the Falcons.

And it's no secret what they're focusing on, especially against a team that failed to complete a single pass in a win over Houston last week.

"You've got to stop the run," said head coach Kyle Whittingham.

"If you can't stop the run, nothing else matters against Air Force."

Though he does expect the Falcons to throw the ball a little more this week, Whittingham reiterated that stopping the option is first and foremost in Utah's mind. It's assignment football and then some.

"One thing about these guys is they're never put away. They never, ever roll over and die or quit on you. They continue to come at you — more so than any team you'll ever play," Whittingham said. "Those guys are mentally tough. They're disciplined. You're going to get their best shot for the full 60 minutes. No doubt about it."

The key, he noted, may be getting an early lead since an option offense isn't really geared toward coming from behind.

Utah quarterback Brian Johnson agrees.

"Anytime you play Air Force, you know it's going to be a tough, competitive, close game," he said. "We've got to go out there and find a way to play well, execute and start fast. I think if we do that, we should be OK."

The bottom line, Johnson continued, is to be efficient by scoring touchdowns instead of field goals.

"We know they're very disciplined and they do some nice things defensively," he said. "So we've got to go out and play our game."