This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah safety Brian Blechen's biggest competition is whatever foe the Utes happen to face on Saturdays.
However, he admits he feels a little competitive with teammate Conroy Black, too. Thanks to three interceptions in the past two games, Black has taken over the team lead with four interceptions for the year.
Blechen has two, both of which came in the season opener against Montana State.
Blechen, who had four interceptions his freshman year, admits he is itching to end his drought.
"I want to catch him," he said. "I haven't had one since Montana State and I thought I was going to get it the last game, but he was right there."
The Utes lead the conference with 14 interceptions.
The luck of it
The Utes have heard a lot about Washington State phenom quarterback Connor Halliday, but they still can't get over their luck, if one wants to call it that, of playing yet another quarterback who is at the top of his game.
Utah defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake could only shake his head when asked about Halliday on Wednesday.
"It's crazy," he said. "He tore it up in the last game. It seems like every game we are facing a great QB, and he fits the bill. What is unbelievable to me is that he was their third guy. We'll see what happens, but I like the way our DBs are playing and we've had a great week of practice."
Good memory
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was coaching at Idaho State when the Utes and Cougars played one of their most memorable games, the 1992 Copper Bowl in Tucson, Ariz., but he still remembers the quarterback who got the best of his father's defense.
That day, Drew Bledsoe led the Cougars to a 31-28 win over the Utes. Bledsoe finished the game 30 for 46 for 476 yards against Utah's defense. Whittingham's father, Fred Whittingham, was serving as defensive coordinator at the time.
"Bledsoe was good, outstanding," Kyle Whittingham said. "He could bootleg one way and throw the post the other way, which hardly any quarterbacks can do."
Twitter: @lyawodraska