Utah held its position in both major college football polls this week. The 14th-ranked Utes (4-0) also maintained level heads in Saturday's 49-35 victory over Air Force.
Trailing 14-0 early in the second quarter, there was plenty of cause for concern.
"We were pressed to the wall, but I guess that's how you measure a team," said defensive tackle Sione Pouha. "The thickness of the blood is determined by what you're going to do in those kind of circumstances."
Utah responded by reeling off 35 straight points over the second and third quarters to win its Mountain West Conference opener and homecoming. It also provided a valuable lesson.
"As long as we keep our heads straight and just keep playing our football, I think we'll be fine in these situations," said linebacker Spencer Toone. "It was kind of scary, though."
Led by freshman quarterback Shaun Carney, Air Force scored on two of its first four possessions. The scoring drives were lengthy — covering 80 and 79 yards, respectively — while taking more than 3 1/2 minutes each. Utah, meanwhile, started slowly. While falling behind by two touchdowns, the Utes were forced to punt twice and lost a fumble.
"We had to get a feel for them at the beginning," said quarterback Alex Smith. "We knew we had to get back in there. There was no nervousness. We just knew we had to step up."
Before the half was complete, a transformation took place on both sides of the ball. Utah scored touchdowns on five of its next six drives, while Air Force punted three times, fumbled and missed a field goal.
"They are a very effective team," said Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry. "They have the ability to mix things up and to spread you out."
When the decisive span was complete, Utah had turned a deficit into a 35-14 advantage with 8:40 to play in the third quarter.
It failed, however, to put the game out of reach. Air Force climbed back into contention with its third sustained scoring drive and by capitalizing on a short field after a fumble by Smith. In just over three minutes, the Falcons had pulled to within a touchdown.
The momentum shift continued with a Utah punt but ended with an Air Force fumble. Marquess Ledbetter's recovery on the Falcon 42 ushered in a Ute scoring drive that restored breathing room and silenced the threat.
"We said before we went out on the field that we had to get out of that drive," said Ledbetter. "No matter what, we had to find a way."
With Air Force behind them, the Utes now turn their attention to Friday's game at New Mexico (6 p.m., ESPN2).
On his television show Sunday night, Utah coach Urban Meyer said they're approaching it as a one-game season with championship ramifications. The Lobos were the lone conference foe to defeat the Utes last season, prevailing 47-35 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
EXTRA POINTS: The win was Utah's 550th overall . . . The Utes are now 13-1 with Smith as their starting quarterback. He threw for 260 yards Saturday and led the Utes with 84 yards rushing . . . Paris Warren finished with a game-high six receptions for 137 yards . . . Tailback Marty Johnson scored four touchdowns . . . Toone and Pouha led Utah with 14 and 13 tackles, respectively. Ryan Smith, Eric Weddle and Tommy Hackenbruck each finished with 10 stops, while Steve Fifita, Reza Williams and Morgan Scalley teamed for 26 more . . . The Utes were credited with five sacks (Pouha 2, Fifita 2, Corey Dodds), two fumble recoveries (Toone, Ledbetter) and an interception (R. Smith) . . . Kicker Bryan Borreson was 7-for-7 on PATs . . . Bo Nagahi returned picked up 50 yards returning two kickoffs . . . Eric Weddle netted 65 yards on four punt returns . . . Grady Marshall blocked an Air Force punt.
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