Now that his ears have stopped ringing, the bruises are fading and the soreness is almost gone, Utah receiver Jereme Brooks is eager to take the field against Wyoming and erase all the pain of the Air Force game.
Brooks, who at 5-foot-7, 170 pounds is Utah's smallest player on the roster, finished with just two catches for six yards against the Falcons. However, he probably led the Utes in taking hard shots, as the Air Force defenders seemed to tag him every which way.
"It was just one of those games," Brooks said.
Brooks is Utah's second-leading receiver with 27 catches for 288 yards. His career best came against San Jose State when he had five catches for 98 yards.
While acknowledging Wyoming has a solid defense, Brooks hopes he can increase his numbers against the Cowboys.
"Hopefully I can make up for all the plays I didn't make last week," he said. "I'm good as new. I'm ready."
Injury update
Nose tackle Kenape Eliapo was listed as probable by Utah coach Kyle Whittingham , but he hasn't practiced this week. Eliapo missed the Air Force game with an eye ailment. Freshman Dave Kruger started in place of Eliapo and had a career-high 13 tackles and would start again Saturday if Eliapo can't play.
Use caution
With Saturday being Halloween, the Utes are asking fans who attend the game to be more cautious than ever in driving to the game because large numbers of trick or treaters are expected in the area.
Resting up
Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said having a bye week before playing the Utes will benefit his team. The Cowboys worked on fundamentals, did a lot of film work and enjoyed some valuable recovery time.
"We were able to get the entire football team healthy, every player who is going to play this year," he said. "We got a few more practices in and it gives the kids a chance to get away from football knowing when we get back they have an extremely tough 5-week grind."
Black is cool
Whittingham said he is all for having an annual blackout as long as the players want to do it. "I'm up for anything that gives them an extra boost," he said.
If the players had their way, they'd wear black more often than not, they said.
"We wish we could wear them all the time," Brooks said. "It's something different from all red and all white."
