2009 Utah Utes Football Preview
2009 Utah Utes season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official Utah Utes football preview as well as the 2009 Utah Utes Football Schedule. Get Free football predictions against the sportsbooks college football betting line.
Coach: Kyle Whittingham (5th year at Utah)
Team Name: Utes
2008 Overall Record: 13-0
Returning Starters: 12
For the Utes of Utah (13-0 overall, 8- 0 MWC) 2008 was simply perfect. The undefeated #7 Utes took the conference crown and then hammered #4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl 31- 17. It was the first Mountain West Conference Championship for the team since 2004 when they won a dozen games. Can these guys do it again? A lot will depend upon the offense, which returns no starters at the skill spots.
Sporting the 15th ranked offense in the nation, which averaged 36.9 PPG, the Utes were led by the 35th ranked passing attack. With the departure of QB Brian Johnson, who completed 68.0% of his passes and hit for 27 TDs, Utah turns to junior Corbin Louks (7 ATT, 4 COMP, 104 YDs, 0 INT, 0 TD), who is a fine runner, to take over. Louks is an excellent athlete. The three top receivers must also be replaced. Senior wideout David Reed (25 REC, 427 YDs, 6 TDs) returns as the leading pass catcher. Senior RB Matt Asiata (146 ATT, 707 YDs, 12 TDs) is a dependable performer and will enhance the club’s point-scoring potential. The O-line offers three starters with plenty of experience.
The Utes held opponents to 17.2 PPG (12th nationally). There were rated 11th versus the run and 33rd against the air ball. Senior right end Koa Misi (68 TKLs, 3 SKs, 5.5 TFL) anchors the line, while OLB Stevenson Sylvester (73 TKLs, 3.5 SKs, 4.5 TFL) and MLB Mike Wright (81 TKLs, 1 SK, 1.5 TFL) are the best in that unit. Senior free safety Robert Johnson (41 TKLs, 4 INTs) is a solid pick artist and senior strong safety Joe Dale (69 TKLs, 1 SK, 5.5 TFL, 3 INTs) offers quickness and smarts. Both starting corners are new, but they are talented and fast. This is a sound squad.
All-American kicker and punter Louie Sakoda, who was 22-of-24 on field goals in 2008, including a 53-yarder, and averaged 42.1 yards per punt, is gone. It’s a big loss. Senior Ben Vroman will handle kicks and freshman Sean Sellwood will try his foot at punting. RB Reed (25 Kick RET, 635 YDs, 25.4 YPR) is back to return kickoffs, while freshman Luke Matthews steps up to take punts.
The good news is that head coach Kyle Whittingham (37- 14 in four years with Utah) has managed to recruit the finest freshman class of any non-Big Six program. Additionally, the team’s non-conference schedule is light. They face one top contender—the Oregon Ducks on September 19. If Utah can win that away game, they’ll be considered a top 25 team. TCU on November 14 and BYU on November 28 are both away games and crucial wins. It will be tough for the Utes to repeat last season’s performance. Both TCU and BYU will make a game of it when they meet Utah. This Utah club will finish third in the conference and earn an invite to a low tier bowl game.
Utah Utes Football Schedule
| Date | Team | Opponent | Site | Line | Total | Points | Opp Points |
| 9/3/2009 | Utah | Utah St. | home | ||||
| 9/12/2009 | Utah | San Jose St. | away | ||||
| 9/19/2009 | Utah | Oregon | away | ||||
| 9/26/2009 | Utah | Louisville | home | ||||
| 10/10/2009 | Utah | Colorado St. | away | ||||
| 10/17/2009 | Utah | UNLV | away | ||||
| 10/24/2009 | Utah | Air Force | home | ||||
| 10/31/2009 | Utah | Wyoming | home | ||||
| 11/7/2009 | Utah | New Mexico | home | ||||
| 11/14/2009 | Utah | TCU | away | ||||
| 11/21/2009 | Utah | San Diego St. | home | ||||
| 11/28/2009 | Utah | BYU | away |
For more info on the 2009 Utah Utes football program, view the Utes website or read up on the rest of the non BCS ncaa football teams below.
