This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
In defense of Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn's performance last November at Texas Christian, it was pointed out that was only his second start in college football.
By now, the explanation of inexperience would do much less to excuse what happened Saturday against the Horned Frogs in his 12th start.
Any support of Wynn will stem strictly from the idea that he was not the only Ute who struggled in a 47-7 defeat at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Coach Kyle Whittingham framed it as "an absolute team loss," but it is also fair to say that Wynn failed to rise above his surroundings. The sophomore completed only 16 of 35 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown. But he suffered two interceptions, and lost a fumble when he was stripped while scrambling.
Through his first six games of the season, having missed two September games with a sprained thumb, Wynn was completing 69 percent of his passes, with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. Wynn had ranked second in the Mountain West Conference with 238.5 passing yards per game, even though he left four of the six games early because Utah was so far ahead.
It did not help him that Utah's receivers dropped several passes Saturday, but Wynn said simply, "I didn't play very well. … I can't turn the ball over three times, and we can't start off slow."
The Utes reached the 50-yard line on their first drive, thanks mostly to Wynn's 15-yard pass to DeVonte Christopher, but did not cross into TCU territory until the fourth quarter.
Wynn did not blame protection issues, any lack of preparation or surprises from the Horned Frogs' defense for his troubles. "I thought we could take advantage of their base defense; we just didn't," he said. "I was going through my progressions just fine … we've just got to make plays."
Wynn is 9-3 as a starting quarterback, losing twice to TCU and once to BYU in overtime on the road.
Through three quarters Saturday, Wynn had completed only 12 of 29 passes for 91 yards.
Whittingham did not replace him with senior Terrance Cain, deciding it was "important to let him play through it."
Whittingham attributed part of Wynn's struggles to Utah's inability to run effectively.
Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata combined for only 39 yards on 10 carries through three quarters.
"It's tough to throw the ball when you can't run the ball," Whittingham said, explaining that TCU's ability to stop the run made play-caller Aaron Roderick less willing to keep trying it.
Asiata had slightly more success on the ground in the fourth period, besides making a nice catch of a 19-yard touchdown pass from Wynn that cut TCU's lead to 40-7.
Wynn's stats against TCU
Year Comp Att Yds TD Int
2009 16 32 219 1 1
2010 16 35 148 1 2
Total 32 67 367 2 3