This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham had a quick reply Thursday when he was told Iowa State is 9-0 under coach Paul Rhoads when holding teams to 24 points. The Cyclones are 1-8 when allowing more than 24 points with the lone win being last week's 52-38 win over Texas Tech.
"We need to score more than 24 points then," Whittingham said.
The Utes are averaging 44.2 points, which is sixth-best in the nation.
Hearing Iowa State's stat didn't surprise Whittingham.
"That is usually the breaking point, right around 25-26 points," he said.
The Utes were 4-2 last year when scoring 24 points or less.
Injured Cyclone
Iowa State running back Alexander Robinson has been limited in practice due to a sore ankle. Robinson, a 5-foot-9, 191-pound senior, rushed for 1,195 yards in 2009 and is coming off a 12 carry, 103-yard performance in the Cyclones' win over Texas Tech. The Cyclones have another option at running back too, with freshman Shontrelle Johnson, who rushed 12 times for 102 yards against Texas Tech.
We meet again
Iowa State and Utah haven't played since 1976, but the two coaches are familiar with one another. Rhoads, who is in his second year with the Cyclones, was Pitt's defensive coordinator when the Panthers and Utes played in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.
Whittingham was serving as a co-head coach and defensive coordinator during that game, which the Utes won 35-7.
Rhoads was with Pitt for eight years then served as Auburn's defensive coordinator in 2008.