Utah Utes football: Happy to finish with 4 of last 6 at home

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham insists he never really puts a lot of emphasis on how the schedule plays out.

"You've got to play them all," he said. "It doesn't matter when you play home (or) when you play away. Because it all evens out throughout the course of the year."

At the halfway point of season, however, he admits to being glad that four of the Utes' six remaining games are at home.

The season-ending slate begins Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium against Air Force.

"The big thing when you prepare for them is being solid in your scheme and disciplined," Whittingham said. "You've got to match their discipline and toughness."

It's assignment football.

"They're going to get their yards. There is no way you can completely shut them down," Whittingham said of the Falcons' triple-option attack. "But if you've got pursuit to the football and you're tackling efficiently, then you've got a chance."

The Falcons, he added, are a solid football team.

"They're doing a lot of good things," Whittingham said.

The same goes for the Utes, he noted, when asked about being No. 18 in the season's first Bowl Championship Series standings.

Utah is off to a 5-1 start, including a 2-0 mark in conference play, and ranked in both major polls.

"It's nice. There's still a lot of football to be played. We're just at the midway point but it's good to be in the equation right now," Whittingham said. "Regardless of where we are in the equation, we've got to keep going. So it really doesn't have a bearing or an effect on what we do. We've just got to keep doing our thing."

In evaluating the first half of the season, Whittingham pointed out several positives.

On offense, Utah's run game leads the conference with five yards per carry. The transition from the injured Matt Asiata to backup Eddie Wide has been a success. Wide has rushed for more than 100-yards in three consecutive games.

Quarterback Terrance Cain is also showing consistency. Whittingham said he's throwing the football better each week and noted that his pass efficiency rating (139.6) is rising and approaching a high level.

The offensive line and receiving corps also drew praise from Whittingham.

Utah's defense received high marks for its work on third downs. Scoring defense is another success, he explained, and work in the red zone is shaping up and is no longer considered a liability.