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Friday's regular-season finale against Colorado could be a record-setting day for Utah running back John White.

White, who is eighth in the nation averaging 125.18 yards per game, needs 131 yards to pass Carl Monroe for the most rushing yards gained in a season.

Monroe set the school record of 1,507 in 1982. White, currently in third, needs just 20 yards to move into second ahead of Damion Hunter who rushed for 1,396 yards in 2001.

White rushed 42 times for 186 yards against Washington State Saturday.

Earlier in the year, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was worried about White's durability, but he no longer has that concern.

"He is a special guy," he said. "He is definitely one of the toughest physically and mentally people I have ever dealt with."

Whittingham said it was the sixth game of the year, when White rushed 36 times for 171 yards, that he became convinced he didn't need to worry about the back's ability to last.

"He was a one man show," Whittingham said. "It was 'Hey, this guy is special. He is going to be our guy,' and the blueprint was to feed him the ball a bunch of times and not turn it over. That was when we were discovering who we were."

Now it seems everyone knows about White, who has tied the school record by rushing for 14 touchdowns set by Marty Johnson in 2004.

"He does a great job of getting stronger as the game goes on," Colorado coach Jon Embree said. "He gets a two-yard gain, then all of a sudden it's six, then 10 and all of a sudden he breaks one."

Eyes on No. 4

Embree said Utah's defensive line impresses him with the way they play violently, but it was another guy behind that line who has impressed him the most.

During Tuesday's teleconference, Embree gushed about safety/linebacker Brian Blechen, who ranks second on the team with 66 tackles and has three interceptions.

"He is a heck of a player," Embree said. "He is everywhere and creates the energy for their defense. He is a smart player, the guy who gets them lined up and does a lot of stuff. I really like that kid. He'll run to hit you and then when he gets there he is going to hit you. That is the guy you have to neutralize because he'll single-handedly wreck things for you."

WSU QB better

Washington State coach Paul Wulff said quarterback Connor Halliday, who suffered a lacerated liver in the loss to the Utes, is doing better.

"He's in a lot of pain, but everything has stabilized in the last 24 hours," he said.

Wulff added the laceration is internal, not on the outside of the liver, "so it's maintained itself, and at this point, if things stay the same, they're hoping it will heal naturally. But he is in some discomfort and he is still in the hospital, and we're hoping maybe he can get out by tomorrow."

Wulff said if everything goes well, it could take "anywhere from two to four months" for a full recovery, though he still hasn't received an official word from the doctors.