Utah Utes football: Utah sets up showdown with TCU after easy victory

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham wasn't concerned that his team would look past winless New Mexico and ahead to Saturday's showdown at undefeated TCU.

"Not at all. Our guys watch the tape. They're smart guys. They see our deficiencies and understand we've got a lot to work on," Whittingham said after the Utes' 45-14 victory over the Lobos at Rice-Eccles Stadium. "That was evident when we watched the tape of the Wyoming game."

Last week's come-from-behind win over the Cowboys, which featured the collegiate debut of quarterback Jordan Wynn and a switch in play callers from Dave Schramm to Aaron Roderick, led to a more spirited effort this time around.

Contributions were plentiful in Utah's most convincing win of the season.

"Overall we did what we should have done. We won the football game," Whittingham said. "We have a big one coming up this week."

Wide receiver Jereme Brooks noted that the Utes picked up some momentum with a solid all-around game before facing the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth.

Brooks had a stellar outing with two touchdowns and a career-high 135 yards receiving. Running backs Eddie Wide and Sausan Shakerin finished with 145 and 100 yards, respectively, on the ground to help the nationally ranked Utes improve to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in Mountain West Conference play.

"Everybody gave a good effort tonight and it paid off," said Wide, who set a school-record with his sixth consecutive 100-yard game. "We've just got to continue with it and see where it takes us."

Wynn became just the third true freshman to start at quarterback for Utah, joining Ken Vierra (1981) and Scott Cate (1982) since the NCAA restored eligibility to freshmen in 1972.

The 19-year-old from Oceanside, Calif., who replaced eight-game starter Terrance Cain, completed 18-of-28 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns.

"I thought I played a solid game. Obviously I'll find mistakes in the film room on Monday," Wynn said. "But I feel good about how I played tonight."

The offense, however, struggled early on. A bad snap led to a 13-yard loss and stymied Utah's first drive.

Wynn and company fared much better the second time around. They converted on third-down situations twice en route to the game's first score. Both came on passes from Wynn to Jereme Brooks. The second — on third-and-10 — was a 69-yard touchdown pass with 5:52 to play in the first quarter.

"We just needed a big play to start off something real fast," Brooks said. "It was a great pass by Jordan."

Joe Phillips added the PAT to give Utah a 7-0 lead.

The advantage didn't last for long.