Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson
Utah true freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn doesn’t have much collegiate experience to draw on, so when he described his thoughts on Saturday’s game against No. 4 TCU, it was the most honest thing he could have said.
“This is the biggest game of my life,” he said.
Wynn has played in two games this season, a total of five FBS quarters, and has started once. While he’s won both contests, both were against teams mired in losing streaks and neither team had a defensive front like TCU’s.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said he’s not worried about playing a freshman quarterback in one of the most important games of the season.
“I can’t worry about that,” said Whittingham, who claimed Wynn was his guy and he had no intention of flip-flopping reps with former starter Terrance Cain. “He’s excited to play. He’s a confident kid and this will be something he’s looking forward to. Obviously, I don’t want to misconstrue that as cockiness, but he loves competition.”
Wynn will get plenty of competition from the TCU defense that ranks third in the country in total defense.
Even seasoned quarterbacks have struggled against the TCU defensive front. The Horned Frogs sacked BYU senior quarterback Max Hall five times. He threw an interception and fumbled. BYU, one of the top offenses in the country, was limited to just 298 total yards and a touchdown.
In the past four games, TCU has allowed just two touchdowns and has held three of its four opponents to season-lows on offense.
“They’re an incredible defense,” Wynn said. “They just have athletes everywhere. They have great team speed on defense and that’s definitely going to challenge us come Saturday.”
But Wynn isn’t daunted. He believes in his offensive line, led by senior left tackle Zane Beadles, and in the power of film study. Wynn said he started breaking down TCU film Monday morning. He said preparation was his strong suit and that it will give him a leg up on game day.
He also has the confidence in knowing that Utah was able to hold the TCU defense in check in a 13-10 win last season. TCU had just two sacks and five tackles for loss. The Horned Frogs allowed Utah 275 total yards, and the Utah defense played its best game of the season to keep the TCU offense at bay.
Wynn likely won’t have a lot of help from his running game this weekend. Although Eddie Wide has rushed for at least 100 yards in every game since taking over as the starter, the TCU defense is especially stingy against the run. Only four teams have run for more than 100 yards against the Frogs this season, and Air Force, a predominantly rushing offense, had the most success with 229 yards in an ice storm. The Frogs have not allowed a rushing touchdown since that Air Force game on Oct. 10 and have allowed just three scores on the ground all season.
Wynn said he gained confidence in his first start, a 45-14 win against New Mexico. He completed 64 percent of his passes for 297 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
But he knows this week will test him both physically and mentally.
“It helped a lot to get my first start out of the way and get almost a full game -- I didn’t get time in the fourth -- under my belt and get a feel for how things are going to start and progress as the game goes on,” Wynn said. “I just have to stay calm. I have great players surrounding me, and a great senior at left tackle blocking for me. Just get them the ball and go from there.”
Utah true freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn doesn’t have much collegiate experience to draw on, so when he described his thoughts on Saturday’s game against No. 4 TCU, it was the most honest thing he could have said.
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| Boyd Ivey/Icon SMI | |
| Utah starting quarterback Jordan Wynn has played in only two games this season. |
Wynn has played in two games this season, a total of five FBS quarters, and has started once. While he’s won both contests, both were against teams mired in losing streaks and neither team had a defensive front like TCU’s.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said he’s not worried about playing a freshman quarterback in one of the most important games of the season.
“I can’t worry about that,” said Whittingham, who claimed Wynn was his guy and he had no intention of flip-flopping reps with former starter Terrance Cain. “He’s excited to play. He’s a confident kid and this will be something he’s looking forward to. Obviously, I don’t want to misconstrue that as cockiness, but he loves competition.”
Wynn will get plenty of competition from the TCU defense that ranks third in the country in total defense.
Even seasoned quarterbacks have struggled against the TCU defensive front. The Horned Frogs sacked BYU senior quarterback Max Hall five times. He threw an interception and fumbled. BYU, one of the top offenses in the country, was limited to just 298 total yards and a touchdown.
In the past four games, TCU has allowed just two touchdowns and has held three of its four opponents to season-lows on offense.
“They’re an incredible defense,” Wynn said. “They just have athletes everywhere. They have great team speed on defense and that’s definitely going to challenge us come Saturday.”
But Wynn isn’t daunted. He believes in his offensive line, led by senior left tackle Zane Beadles, and in the power of film study. Wynn said he started breaking down TCU film Monday morning. He said preparation was his strong suit and that it will give him a leg up on game day.
He also has the confidence in knowing that Utah was able to hold the TCU defense in check in a 13-10 win last season. TCU had just two sacks and five tackles for loss. The Horned Frogs allowed Utah 275 total yards, and the Utah defense played its best game of the season to keep the TCU offense at bay.
Wynn likely won’t have a lot of help from his running game this weekend. Although Eddie Wide has rushed for at least 100 yards in every game since taking over as the starter, the TCU defense is especially stingy against the run. Only four teams have run for more than 100 yards against the Frogs this season, and Air Force, a predominantly rushing offense, had the most success with 229 yards in an ice storm. The Frogs have not allowed a rushing touchdown since that Air Force game on Oct. 10 and have allowed just three scores on the ground all season.
Wynn said he gained confidence in his first start, a 45-14 win against New Mexico. He completed 64 percent of his passes for 297 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
But he knows this week will test him both physically and mentally.
“It helped a lot to get my first start out of the way and get almost a full game -- I didn’t get time in the fourth -- under my belt and get a feel for how things are going to start and progress as the game goes on,” Wynn said. “I just have to stay calm. I have great players surrounding me, and a great senior at left tackle blocking for me. Just get them the ball and go from there.”
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