This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
South Bend, Ind. • By scoring only three points, Utah's offense prevented the Utes from winning Saturday.
But by basically giving Notre Dame 14 points via mistakes, Utah's special teams certainly made things easier for the Fighting Irish.
A blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown and a TD pass after a fumble on a kickoff return accounted for half of Notre Dame's scoring in a 28-3 victory.
Coming when it did, each play was equally deflating to the Utes and uplifting to the Irish.
Punting from their 25-yard line late in the first quarter with a 3-0 lead, the Utes allowed Notre Dame defensive back Robert Blanton to rush from the edge and take the ball right off the foot of punter Sean Sellwood. Blanton carried the ball the remaining 6 yards into the end zone, sending the Irish ahead after their first three offensive possessions had gone nowhere.
Ute coach Kyle Whittingham said Sellwood took too long to kick the ball, adding to the protection problem.
On the second-half kickoff, Notre Dame's Austin Collinsworth knocked the ball out of Shaky Smithson's hands with his helmet, with Notre Dame's Daniel Smith recovering the ball at the Ute 26. Tommy Rees found Duval Kamara in the end zone on the next play for a 21-3 lead.
Whittingham labeled that 13-second sequence "very deflating" and "the exact opposite of what we hoped to accomplish in the second half."
Having a helmet dislodge the ball was simply "a great play," Smithson said. "I mean, you can't avoid that."
Smithson emerged as one of the Utes' biggest weapons during an 8-0 start, but Notre Dame did not allow him to be a positive force in the return game. The Irish's Ben Turk punted six times for only a 36-yard average, but he was effective. Smithson managed to return only one kick, and was caught for a 2-yard loss after circling back.
Having entered the game with a 22.8-yard average to lead the nation, Smithson is becoming frustrated with opponents' punting the ball high and short.
"Each and every team for the last four or five weeks has been doing that, so I'm kind of used to it by now," he said. "But I just hope it changes — just man up and just punt to me, so we can make some great plays."
Utah's special-teams troubles extended to punting and covering kickoffs. Sellwood averaged only 31.4 yards for five punts (not counting the blocked kick) and Notre Dame's Bennett Jackson returned the opening kickoff 35 yards. Of course, the Utes had to kick off only once after that.
Not so special
Utah's special-teams mistakes resulted in one touchdown and led to another for Notre Dame:
• The Irish's Robert Blanton blocked Sean Sellwood's punt and carried the ball the remaining 6 yards for a first-quarter touchdown.
• The Irish's Austin Collinsworth knocked the ball out of Shaky Smithson's hands on the second-half kickoff and teammate Daniel Smith recovered at the Ute 26-yard line. Notre Dame scored one play later via a touchdown pass.