Morgan Scalley got a little help in his record-setting 88-yard fumble return for a touchdown in Utah's 63-31 win over Colorado State.
"I was a little bit nervous. I knew that people were going to be behind me, so when I was running — I think I got to the 20 — I looked up to the video wall to see who was behind me," said Scalley, who noticed that CSU tight end Joel Dressen was closing in on him. "As soon as he dove on the screen, I hurried and jumped and kicked out of it. So, Larry H. Miller (who donated the Rice-Eccles Stadium board) hooked me up on that one."
Utah's starting free safety, who leads the Mountain West Conference with five interceptions, picked off two passes and scooped up a fumble against the Rams.
"Scalley's arrived," said Utah coach Urban Meyer. "That was one of the best games a safety has played."
Teammate Eric Weddle, the starter at strong safety, also made a significant contribution with an interception and a fumble recovery.
"That's what they're capable of. They work their tails off in practice during the week," said defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham. "Film study and preparation is A-plus and it showed on Saturday."
Utah's last line of defense — Scalley, a senior, and Weddle, a sophomore — has combined for 95 tackles, eight interceptions, six pass breakups, six tackles-for-loss and three fumble recoveries this season.
"Those two are the cornerstone of our defense. They're pretty much the heart and soul and make everything kind of tick on our defense," said defensive tackle Sione Pouha. "Those two show up and make plays when they need to make plays.
"Those two are great leaders, great guys and a big part of our defense," added Pouha.
Meyer said the pair have picked up where former Ute Dave Revill, who the coach considers a great teacher, left off.
"We've had great safeties here and they've all learned from each other," said Meyer.
Scalley, he added, is playing as well as any safety on the country. Weddle, however, still has a ways to go.
"Eric is a great player that doesn't play great all the time," said Meyer. "He's got to get more discipline, but that interception (Saturday) was a great play. We've had a bunch of those around here."
TOP RANKING: CBS Sportsline's "All-Phases Index," a survey that weighs a teams success on offense, defense and special teams, has ranked the Utes (9-0) No. 1 in the nation. Meyer has the results plastered all over the football facility because he "wants his team to take pride in what they do."
A year ago, eventual national champion Louisiana State topped the index.
"It's not whether some voter in Virginia likes the color of our uniforms or not. It's actually measurable," Meyer said in comparison to the Bowl Championship Series standings.
As for the BCS, Meyer admits he doesn't understand exactly how it works.
"I still don't know the formula," said Meyer. "That's why I kind of like the sportsline.com poll because it says the formula. It's very clear."
There's too much human element, he continued, in the polls and BCS standings.
"That's part of the deal, I guess," said Meyer, who anticipates changes will be made. "At some point it will be readjusted and the student-athlete will come first instead of whatever else is deciding, sponsorship and those type of things."
Until then, however, the Utes must live within the system.
"We control what we can control," said Meyer. "And that's to get ready for Wyoming."
CSU CONTROVERSY: Meyer's decision to put quarterback Alex Smith back into Saturday's game after CSU closed the gap to 25 points midway through the fourth quarter led to criticism from the Colorado media. It didn't, however, bother Rams coach Sonny Lubick. He understood Utah's desire to protect the victory. Meyer said if he had kept his second-stringers on the field, the Utes would have lost.
Not all is well, though.
In the MWC's weekly teleconference, Lubick acknowledged some dissatisfaction with Utah's aggressive punt rush when the game was out of reach.
"Let's put it this way," he said. "We certainly wouldn't do that."
U.'s Scalley wins weekly honor
Utah free safety Morgan Scalley has been named Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Utes' 63-31 win over Colorado State this past Saturday. The senior returned a fumble a school-record 88 yards for a touchdown and picked off two passes and accumulated 40 yards in returns on those plays. He had five tackles (two unassisted) and a pass breakup for the unbeaten Utes.
Utes on the air
No. 7 Utah (9-0, 5-0) at Wyoming (6-3, 3-2)
War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, Wyo.
Saturday, 5 p.m.
TV: KTVX, Ch. 4 (ABC)
Radio: KALL 700AM
E-mail: dirk@desnews.com