Utah football notes: Utes use bye weekend to study books, Huskies

The Utes used their bye week to do some studying, of both their classwork and their next opponent.

Utah corner Conroy Black said he and some of his teammates caught Washington's 31-23 win Saturday over Cal.

The thing that impressed him the most, not surprisingly, was the play of Washington quarterback Keith Price.

Price leads the nation with 14 touchdown throws, including three against Cal.

"We are going to have our hands full this week," Black said. "He does his best to keep the plays alive, and he has a good ability to scramble."

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said Price's playmaking abilities set him apart from other quarterbacks.

"When the pocket breaks down, he is exceptional at throwing on the move," he said. "He is a capable runner. He doesn't run a lot, but he is adept at running the football."

As good as Price is, the Utes said they know Washington's offense doesn't rely on him alone. Running back Chris Polk has 2,983 career rushing yards and had had five straight 100-yard games before finishing with just 60 against Cal.

However, he was Washington's leading receiver in that game, with four receptions for 85 yards.

"He is a good back," Black said. "We know they are a run-first team, but they are heavy in the pass game, too. It's going to be a challenge."

Injury report

Whittingham said offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom and tight end Jake Murphy are questionable for the game due to the knee injuries they suffered against BYU.

Fullback Luke Matthews, who sat out the BYU game with a shoulder injury, is expected to play Saturday.

While some might have felt the bye week was too early, Whittingham said it came at a good time due to the injuries to key players.

"We didn't spend a lot of time on the field last week," he said. "We wanted to get healed up and get the legs back under them."

Up next

Saturday's game against Washington will be televised by ROOT Sports, as will Utah's home game the following Saturday against Arizona State, which will kick off at 1:30 p.m.