Thursday, Sept. 2, 2004 | 12:01 p.m.
Utah head coach Urban Meyer took home several national coach of the year awards after leading the Utes to a 10-2 record and an outright Mountain West Conference championship.
Now he hopes to avoid the sophomore jinx.
"My motivation is to make sure we're not a program that is a one-year wonder," Meyer told the Deseret News recently.
There is no reason to think the Utes, who return 17 starters including star quarterback Alex Smith, will be.
In fact, the talk around Salt Lake City these days is not so much if will the Utes repeat as MWC champs, it's whether they can go undefeated and earn a BCS bowl berth in the process.
Several players including Smith have told media members in the Salt Lake City area that running the table and garnering a BCS bid was the team's No. 1 goal this year.
Meyer, who took part in a multimedia promotion that claimed, 'You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet', naturally is trying to low-key the sky-high expectations.
After all, it wasn't as though Utah dominated the MWC last fall. The Utes edged Colorado State by a touchdown on a fluke fumble return late in the game, needed triple overtime to knock off Air Force and barely got by the worst BYU team in four decades, 3-0.
Here's a capsule look at how the teams in the Mountain West Conference shape up:
Air Force
Head coach: Fisher DeBerry, 21st year, 156-88-1.
2003 Record: 7-5 (3-4, Tied for 4th in Mountain West)
Returning Starters: 6.
Top player: LB John Rudzinski
Key game: Sept. 18 at UNLV.
2004 MWC Media Projection: 7th.
The skinny: Fisher DeBerry pulled a stunner when he named freshman Shaun Carney to start Saturday's opener against 13th-ranked Cal. Carney, who played on the Air Force Academy Prep School squad last year, got the nod over junior Andy Gray and is the first freshman to start a season-opener for the Falcons. How long Carney keeps the job remains to be seen, however. Senior Adam Fitch, the expected starter who ruptured his Achilles tendon in spring practice, returned to practice two weeks ago and might even see duty in a mop-up role on Saturday. Don't be surprised if he's starting by the time the Falcons visit Las Vegas for their Mountain West opener. Air Force returns just six starters from last year's 7-5 squad but DeBerry has been at his best in the past when his team is overlooked in the preseason polls. The receiving corps led by senior Alec Messer all and 6-foot-4 Jason Brown could be the best group that DeBerry has had in his 21 years in Colorado Springs. There also i! s good depth at fullback and halfback.
BYU
Head coach: Gary Crowton, 4th season, 21-17.
2003 record: 4-8 (3-4, Tied for 4th in Mountain West)
Returning starters: 12.
Top player: DB Aaron Francisco.
Key game: Sept. 4 vs. Notre Dame.
2004 MWC media poll projection: Tie for 5th.
The skinny: The Cougars should be improved offensively following a disastrous 2003 season but will it really matter? BYU must play Notre Dame and No. 1 USC at home in the first month while also traveling to Stanford, two-time WAC champ Boise State and Colorado State. An 0-5 or 1-4 start is not out of the question which would not sit very well with Cougars fans after back-to-back losing seasons. Crowton is hoping mobile sophomore John Beck will be the answer to BYU's revolving door at quarterback but oft-maligned junior Matt Barry is on deck just in case. Junior college transfer Todd Watkins gives the Cougars a much-needed playmaker at wide receiver but running back and offensive line are still question marks. Sophomore tight end Daniel Coats has star quality. The defense, tutored by former Rocky Long pupil Bronco Mendenhall, should be one of the bes t in the conference but lacks quality depth.
Colorado State
Head coach: Sonny Lubick, 12th season, 91-44.
2003 record: 7-6 (4-3, 3rd in Mountain West)
Returning starters: 13.
Top player: WR David Anderson.
Key game: Oct. 2 vs. BYU.
2004 MWC media poll projection: 2nd.
The skinny: The Rams must replace perhaps the conference's most dominating player in quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt who accounted for 3,754 yards in total offense and had a hand in 29 touchdowns. Junior Justin Holland, arguably a better passer than Van Pelt, takes over but the Rams may be hard-pressed to replace Van Pelt's 909 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Still, Holland has two of the top receivers in the conference to throw to in senior H-Back Joel Dressen, who will be playing on Sundays next fall, and junior David Anderson, who had 72 receptions and 9 touchdowns as a sophomore. And word out of Fort Collins is senior tailback Marcus Houston, a former national prep player of the year, may finally be ready to have a breakout season. Whether the Rams can make a run at another MWC title, however, will depend on how well a defense that struggled at ti mes last fall. Coach Sonny Lubick should get a good indication of that in his first three games: at Colorado, at USC and ag! ainst Big Ten power Minnesota in Fort Collins.
New Mexico
Head coach: Rocky Long, 7th year, 33-40.
2003 record: 8-5 (5-2, 2nd in the Mountain West)
Returning starters: 12.
Top player: RB DonTrell Moore.
Key game: Oct. 1 vs. Utah.
2004 MWC media poll projection: 4th.
The skinny: Steady three-year starter Casey Kelly will be replaced at quarterback by athletic sophomore Kole McKamey as the Lobos try and improve on their win total for a seventh-straight year. With a veteran offensive line led by all-MWC tackle Claude Terrell and center Ryan Cook blocking for MWC rushing champ DonTrell Moore, it's no secret the Lobos will go as far as their bruising running game will take them. Look for McKamey, who actually has played wide receiver in the past, to run his share of the option. The defense must replace three all-MWC linemen in D.J. Renteria, Zach Rupp and Daniel Kegler as well as all-MWC linebacker Billy Strother and all-MWC defensive back Brandon Ratcliff. But talented corner Gabriel Fulbright returns and head coach Rocky Long is sure to keep opponents off-balanced with his blitz-from-all-angles 3-3-5 defense. The Lobos also have one of the conference's best kickers in senior Wes Zunker. The big key for the Lobos will be to not fall to! o far behind in games because their passing game appears to be very suspect.
San Diego State
Head coach: Tom Craft, 3rd year, 10-15.
2003 record: 6-6 (3-4, Tied for fourth in the Mountain West)
Returning starters: 16.
Top player: LB Kirk Morrison.
Key game: Oct. 16 vs. Colorado State
2004 MWC media poll projection: 3rd.
The skinny: The Aztecs have the defense to win their first MWC title but the offense is a big question mark entering Saturday's opener against Idaho State. Junior Matt Dlugolecki struggled last season when he replaced injured starter Adam Hall and will the start the opener. But head coach Tom Craft said he plans to also play both redshirt freshman Kevin O'Connell and true freshman Darren Mougey, who has drawn comparisons to former MWC offensive player of the year Bradlee Van Pelt for his running ability. The offensive line also suffered a big setback when center Jasper Harvey, a Rimington Award candidate, was booted off the team leaving just one experienced starter in tackle Mike Kracalik. If UNLV's inside linebacker duo of seniors Adam Seward and Ryan Claridge isn't the best in the MWC, then San Diego State's tandem of senior Kirk Morrison, who was the coaches' defensive player of the year in 2003, and junior Matt McCoy, who led the league in tackles, is. The Aztecs re! turn seven starters from a defense that ranked eighth in the nation in total defense.
UNLV
Head coach: John Robinson, 6th season, 26-33.
2003 record: 6-6 (2-5, Tied for seventh).
Returning starters: 13.
Top player: S Jamaal Brimmer.
Key game: Sept. 18 vs. Air Force.
2004 MWC media poll projection: 7th.
The skinny: John Robinson has called this his most talented team since inheriting a 16-game losing streak from Jeff Horton following the 1998 season. The question is how many of them will still be around when the Rebels open MWC play on Sept. 18 at home against Air Force? Four starters including offensive tackle Tyler Crandall, all-MWC punt returner Tremayne Kirkland, starting defensive end Pete Dunbar and starting tight end Greg Estandia suffered training camp injuries with only Estandia hopeful of playing again by Air Force. The Rebel defense, led by All-American safety Jamaal Brimmer and deep, veteran linebacker unit, could be hard-pressed to match last year's MWC-leading total of forcing 35 turnovers. The offense, under the direction of Bruce Snyder, should be much improved especially when Estandia returns from a knee injury. If the Rebels can a void any more serious injuries in their back-to-back opening trips to No. 14 Tennessee and Wisconsin, they have the talent ! to make a run at a bowl game.
Utah
Head coach: Urban Meyer, 2nd year, 10-2.
2003 record: 10-2 (6-1, 1st in the Mountain West)
Returning starters: 17.
Top player: QB Alex Smith.
Key game: Oct. 1 at New Mexico.
2004 MWC media poll projection: 1st.
The skinny: The Utes are the consensus pick to repeat as MWC champs ... and for good reason. Junior quarterback Alex Smith, who threw just three interceptions last year, returns to run Urban Meyer's spread offense and will be joined by 16 other returning starters including 2003 MWC receptions leader Paris Warren (76 catches) and speedy sophomore Steve Savoy. And the running game welcomes back Marty Johnson, arguably the best running back in the conference before injuring a knee in 2002, from suspension. The defense figures to be one of the best in the conference with seven starters back from a unit that blanked Southern Miss in the Liberty Bowl, 17-0. The Utes also have some of the conference's top special teams thanks to kick returner Bo Nagahi (25.5 avg.) and junior placekicker Bryan Borreson. Utah also has arguably the conference's easiest schedu le with non-conference games against three rebuilding programs (Texas A& M, Arizona and North Carolina) and just three conf! erence road games. The Utes don't travel further east than the Mountain Time Zone for a game.
Wyoming
Head coach: Joe Glenn, 2nd year, 4-8.
2003 record: 4-8 (2-5, Tied for 7th in Mountain West)
Returning starters: 13.
Top player: DT Zach Morris.
Key game: Oct. 9 vs. San Diego State.
2004 MWC media poll projection: 8th.
The skinny: Joe Glenn brought some much-needed enthusiasm back to Laramie along with some pretty good coaching. The Pokes upset both long-time nemesis BYU and Border War rival Colorado State in back-to-back home games which resulted in goal posts being torn down after each win. Glenn accomplished that despite playing an offensive line that featured two freshmen tackles and a defense that also was undermanned at many positions. The Cowboys on paper look to be a better squad entering the 2004 campaign thanks to the addition of junior college All-American running back Joe Harris, who should help add some firepower to a rushing attack that averaged just 84.4 yards per game, and a defense that should benefit from another year of recruiting and weight training. The big key will be if junior quarterback Corey Bramlet can pick up where brother Casey Bramlet , a draft pick of the Bengals, left off.
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