University of UtahUtah (2-3, 0-3 Pac-12) vs. Pittsburgh (3-3, 1-1 Big East)
Pittsburgh, Pa.
> Utah (2-3, 0-3 Pac-12) travels to Pittsburgh, Pa., for a Saturday, Oct. 15 against Pitt (3-3, 1-1 Big East). Kickoff is at noon ET (10 a.m. MT) on Heinz Field. The game will be televised on ESPNU. Radio is ESPN700 AM (espn700sports.com).
> Utah is 8-0 all-time against current members of the Big East Conference, including a 2-0 mark against Pittsburgh. The Utes have also played Louisville (4-0), South Florida (1-0) and West Virginia (1-0).
> Utah’s first win against Pitt was in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl to conclude a 12-0 2004 season. The Utes, then members of the Mountain West Conference, became the original “BCS Busters” as the first team from a non-automatic qualifying conference to play in (and win) a BCS bowl game.
> Utah beat Pitt in overtime last September in Salt Lake City. For complete series information, see the boxed inset on page 2.
> Kyle Whittingham is 2-0 against Pittsburgh. Although his first season as Utah’s head coach was in 2005, the NCAA credits both Whittingham and Urban Meyer with a win over Pitt when they co-coached the Utes in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl (2004 season). Whittingham also beat Pitt last season.
> Pitt is Utah’s final non-conference opponent of the season. The Utes are 2-0 in non-conference play with wins over Montana State (27-10) and Brigham Young (54-10). Utah is 1-0 in non-conference road games (BYU) and 1-1 on the road overall.
> With losses to USC, Washington and Arizona State, the Utes are off to their first 0-3 conference start since 2002, when they were members of the Mountain West Conference. Utah is off to its first 2-3 start since 2007.
Utah is tied for the Pac-12 lead and tied for eighth nationally in fumbles recovered (8) … Utah ranks second in the Pac-12 and 19th nationally in rushing defense (99.4) and has held three of its five opponents under 100 yards rushing: BYU (11 yards), Arizona State (74 yards), Montana State (75 yards) ... Utah is second in the Pac-12 and 21st in the NCAA in red-zone defense (11-for-15, 73%) … Utah is second in the Pac-12 in interceptions (5, tied) and turnovers gained (13) … The Utes are third in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (21.8).
True freshman receiver/starting punt returner Charles Henderson suffered a season-ending knee injury against Arizona State. Other injury updates: running back Tauni Vakapuna (ankle) out, linebacker Jacoby Hale (concussion) out, safety Keith McGill (shoulder) doubtful, receiver DeVonte Christopher (ankle) questionable … Five players got their first career starts as Utes against ASU: quarterback Jon Hays, receiver Kenneth Scott, defensive back Reggie Topps, tight end Jake Murphy and defensive end Trevor Reilly … Utah has played four true freshmen this season: safety Eric Rowe, defensive end Nate Fakahafua, running back Harvey Langi and Henderson.
Since there are no classes this week due to fall break, the Utes plan to move the start of practice up five hours to 10 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare for Saturday’s 10 a.m. MT (noon ET) kick vs. Pitt … Utah will depart for Pittsburgh on Thursday at 4 p.m.—traveling a day earlier than usual because of the long flight and the early game … Utah will hold a closed walk through on Friday at Pitt. On typical road weeks, the Utes hold their walk through in Salt Lake City on Friday before departing for the host city.
Utah’s roster lists three players from east of the Mississippi River: Conroy Black and Mo Lee, both cornerbacks from Florida and Charles Henderson, a receiver from New Orleans … Utah is 6-12 all-time in games played in the Eastern time zone … Utah is 1-0 on ESPNU, with its only previous appearance on the network in 2009 at San Jose State … Utah is out-scoring its opponents in the first, second and fourth quarters … Utah has committed 10 turnovers in the last two games with just one takeaway.
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