This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Ames, Iowa
Jordan Wynn delivered a long completion, injured his shoulder, tossed a short touchdown pass and then threw an interception.
And the Utah quarterback's night was just beginning.
After that adventurous first quarter Saturday against Iowa State, Wynn delivered consistently. So did the rest of the Utes, in a performance that demanded some attention.
Never have so many points flowed so effortlessly than in this 68-27 victory. The Utes played with some urgency, doing all kinds of damage with a fast-forwarded offensive tempo in a wild second period.
"I just got in a groove," said Wynn, and there was a lot of that going around.
Secretly, and reluctantly, the Utes and their followers should be happy BYU broke its well-chronicled losing streak Saturday.
Now, those of us who were preoccupied with the crumbling of the Cougars will notice that a genuine top-10 team resides in the state.
"Everybody was underestimating us," said linebacker Chad Manis. "That's kind of been the story of this whole season. … We earned our ranking."
Indeed, if this trip to Big 12 country served as any kind of season checkpoint, the Utes hardly could have looked more impressive. The stage for their skewering of Iowa State was one of those classic October settings in the Midwest, with sunshine framing the vast tailgating scene surrounding the stadium.
When the sun set, the fun stopped for the Cyclones. Utah's 31-point second quarter, powered mainly by Wynn's passing, took all the doubt out of this game and sealed the Utes' 5-0 start.
The defense and special teams certainly did their parts, but Wynn was responsible for much of the impression they made in the Midwest by passing for 325 yards.
Coach Kyle Whittingham wondered about Wynn's shoulder, which absorbed a hit after he released a pass. The worry seemed justified when Wynn was intercepted later in the first quarter and ISU retook the lead, but Wynn "assured me he was fine," Whittingham said.
Yeah, I'd say so. Just imagine if the Utes had needed a full game's work from Wynn.
They led 41-14 at halftime and 58-20 after three quarters, by which time Wynn was finished. So was Utah's nonconference schedule, meaning that only Air Force and Texas Christian can offer them a real test until a bowl game.
Check back with the Utes at the end of the month, in other words. But credit them with doing all they can, for now.
The Cyclones withstood Texas Tech's 377 passing yards and five touchdowns last weekend in a 52-38 victory, but could not survive Utah's whirlwind. ISU's secondary was there for the shredding, and Wynn took advantage.
After he missed two games with a sprained thumb, Utah needed only 124 passing yards from him in a 56-3 drubbing of San Jose State two weeks ago, preceding a bye. So this was Wynn's first genuine test since the season opener against Pittsburgh, and he was everything the Utes want him to be.
Wynn's first pass went for 53 yards to DeVonte Christopher, but he was injured later on that drive and missed two plays. Later in the first quarter, he threw the interception leading to an ISU touchdown. On the next series, his scramble left him an inch short of the first-down marker.
That was enough of that.
The Utes scored touchdowns on their first four possessions of the second quarter, starting with receiver Shaky Smithson throwing a TD pass. Even when Wynn made an up-for-grabs throw, Smithson turned it into a 61-yard touchdown.
"It seemed like we didn't even score that many points," Wynn said. "We just kind of rolled with it."