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Well that wasn't a bad first season. After years of having good teams that had a hard time getting over the hump, Utah had a fantastic year to start off the Urban Meyer era and the good times won't stop rolling.
The Utes are loaded with talent and experience with 17 returning starters, lines that most big-name teams would love to have, and a star quarterback in Alex Smith ready to run the show. However, now is not the time to sit back and relax.
While Utah might be the best team in the Mountain West, the league is also loaded and the bull's-eye will be squarely on the Utes' back. With road games at New Mexico and San Diego State, it'll be a battle to win the conference title again. Fortunately for Ute fans, the team is more than good enough to pull it off.
So put the pressure on; if the Utes can get by Texas A∓M in the home opener, there isn't a game on the schedule that they won't be favored in. Does that mean it'll be an undefeated season? No, but there's no reason this can't be another ten-win year and step to in what Meyer hopes is the making of a powerhouse.
The Schedule: The schedule can't be used as an excuse if Utah stumbles this season with five not-that-bad road games and Texas A∓M, North Carolina and Colorado State coming to Salt Lake City. With four league home games and Wyoming on the road, the Utes might have the best slate of all the Mountain West teams if they can get past road dates at New Mexico and San Diego State.
Best Offensive Player: Senior G Chris Kemoeatu. The 6-4, 334-pound guard should be in the NFL right now. He's big and athletic who can dominate as a run blocker and has the feet to be solid in pass protection. This year he'll finally get his due as one of the nation's top linemen.
Best Defensive Player: Senior FS Morgan Scalley. Pretty much the dream college football player, Scalley is a big-time hitter and tremendous all-around playmaking defensive back, a strong kick returner, and an emergency quarterback. Oh yeah, he's also an academic All-American and leader in the community in various charity work.
Key player to a successful season: Utah has everything going its way and is in for a fantastic season ... if QB Alex Smith doesn't get hurt. That's not to say that one of the backups like Adam Madsen or Brigham Au can't fill in for a stretch, but neither one is Smith. It'll most likely be up to true freshman Brian Johnson to be a factor right away and claim the number two spot. If nothing else, he needs to be a strong insurance police.
The season will be a success if ... Utah repeats as Mountain West champions. At this point anything less would make the season a failure. If you really want to get greedy, a one loss season isn't out of the question.
Key game: November 6th vs. Colorado State. The Rams used to be the top dog in the conference and wants the spot back. Coming off a road date at San Diego State, the Utes can't take this game lightly or else a Mountain West title run might be halted.
2003 Fun Stats:
- Fourth quarter scoring: Utah 116 - Opponents 48
- Time of possession: Utah 33:28 - Opponents 26:32
- Fumbles: Utah 38 (lost 15) - Opponents 37 (lost 21)
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