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Alex Smith
Robert Beck/SI
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Sizing up Utah
What Meyer has done in two short seasons in Salt Lake City is nothing short of remarkable. He's gone 21-2 and his innovative offense, featuring reverses and misdirection plays, has produced an average of 46.3 points and 502.7 yards per game. Meyer has the perfect quarterback to run his system in junior Alex Smith, who is 21-1 as a starter. Smith is extremely smart and has completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 2,624 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has only thrown four interceptions and has also rushed for 563 yards and 10 TDs.
But this offense is much more than Smith. The Utes are an excellent rushing team, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. In addition to Smith, the duo of Marty Johnson (782 yards, 14 TDs) and Quinto Ganther (620 yards) has helped keep defenses honest. Meyer also loves to get the ball in the hands of speedy wideout Steve Savoy, who averages 14.0 yards per carry and has scored six rushing touchdowns. Savoy is also the team's top receiver with 60 catches for 891 yards and 11 touchdowns. But double him and Paris Warren (65 catches, 878 yards, 10 TDs) will make you pay.
Utah's defense may be unheralded but the success of this unit wasn't lost on Utah athletic department officials, who named defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham as Meyer's replacement. The Utes are aggressive and swarm to the ball. Linebacker Spencer Toone leads the team with 107 tackles, while fellow linebacker Tommy Hackenbruck has 81 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, and has forced five fumbles. The secondary features a pair of playmakers. Safety Morgan Scalley is second in the nation with six interceptions and has scored twice on an 88-yard fumble return and a 90-yard kickoff return. Freshman cornerback Ryan Smith had 40 tackles, two sacks, an interception and five pass breakups.
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Tyler Palko
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
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Sizing up Pittsburgh
The Panthers' second-half run coincided with the maturation of sophomore quarterback Tyler Palko. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Palko averaged 320.2 yards passing in Pitt's last five games and played like an All-American in leading the Panthers to a come-from-behind, 41-38 overtime win at Notre Dame on Nov. 13. Palko has a strong, accurate arm and has thrown for 2,816 yards and 23 touchdowns on the season.
When All-American Larry Fitzgerald left for the pros after last season, many wondered who Pitt's playmaking wideout would be. The Panthers have developed a reputation for producing game-breaking receivers and sure enough, sophomore Greg Lee stepped up to become the guy. With good size at 6-2, 200 pounds, and sure hands, Lee was sixth in the nation with 1,204 receiving yards (he averaged 19.7 yards per catch) and scored nine touchdowns. Lee and Palko will draw plenty of attention, which is why Pitt's success will depend on its ability to run the ball. The Panthers don't have a dominant running back, but Raymond Kirkley and Tim Murphy must be able to keep the Utes off balance.
Pitt's defense, while lacking many stars, has been extremely productive, forcing 25 turnovers (17 interceptions, 8 fumbles) and coming up with four goal-line stands this season. All-Big East linebacker H.B. Blades leads the team with 102 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and has three interceptions. Linebacker Clint Session has 86 tackles, while linebacker Malcolm Postell has 8.5 tackles for loss and a team-leading four interceptions. The strength of this unit is the front seven, but against Utah, the pressure will be on the secondary. If the Utes are able to beat Pitt deep early, this one will be over quickly.
Special Teams Breakdown
This area has been another one of Utah's strengths. Since replacing injured starter Bryan Borreson in October, freshman walk-on kicker David Carroll has been outstanding, going 5 for 5 on field goals and hitting 39 of 39 PATs. The Utes were second in the nation in kickoff return average (26.5 yards per return). Morgan Scalley (41.8 yards per return) and Justin Walker (34.1) both have the ability to bring kicks back.
Pitt has also been solid in the kicking game, but lacks a return threat. Place-kicker Josh Cummings has made 34 of 36 PATs and 18 of 25 field goals, including three game-winning kicks. Punter Adam Graessle was All-Big East after averaging 44 yards per kick and also placed 17 inside the 20.
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