Ute offense steamrolls UNC

SALT LAKE CITY - Five minutes and 54 seconds.

That's the total time it took Utah's offense to score on its four first-half touchdown drives - three of which covered more than 80 yards of Rice-Eccles Stadium field turf.

It was a sequence of events that could have been recorded from a video game, a textbook execution of Coach Urban Meyer's unique option schemes.

And for a North Carolina defense that ranked 112th nationally entering Saturday's contest, Meyer's offensive juggernaut was simply too much to handle.

"The option is a difficult offense," said UNC senior defensive tackle Jonas Seawright. "It's a pretty hard offense to defend. You really have to come prepared. You really have to come ready and you really have to have your game plan down to attack that type of offense."

Planning to contain an offense like Utah's is all the more difficult because of senior quarterback Alex Smith.

Smith has garnered national attention largely because of statistics - he passed for 341 yards and ran for 55 Saturday - but the numbers do not demonstrate how efficiently he captains the Ute attack.

Pinned down by a David Wooldridge punt at the Utah 1-yard line with 1:55 remaining in the first half, Smith ran two consecutive quarterback sneaks to remove the Utes from their goal line, the second of which was a 19-yard scamper down the middle of the field.

Then, like a symphony conductor, Smith covered the remaining 77 yards to the Utah end zone with a seemingly nonchalant grace.

He completed passes on the next five throws for a combined 61 yards, a mix of quick sideline strikes and deeper throws across the middle of the field.

With the red-clad crowd rising in anticipation with 18 seconds left on the clock, Smith ran his trademark option keeper to the right side, gaining another 12 yards to the UNC 6.

And two plays later, he punctuated the drive with a short throw to wideout Paris Warren for a touchdown.

Ten plays and 99 yards later, the Utes had extended their halftime lead to 20 with the offense set to receive the ball again to open the second half.

"We couldn't stop these guys," said UNC coach John Bunting. "We just didn't do a very good job. We failed miserably as a defense, and that's me and the staff and the players."

Bunting prepared his team during the week for Utah's atypical offensive formations. UNC started five defensive backs to attempt to counter Utah's four- and five-receiver sets, but the Tar Heels had no answer for Smith or the option attack, allowing a school-record 669 yards.

Utah also scored touchdowns on five of its seven trips into the red zone, keyed by Smith's rapid decision making and near-flawless execution, which made the Tar Heels' task all the more difficult.

"Everything moved fast, you know?" said linebacker Larry Edwards. "But that's how the game is. You just have to move and react."

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.