Hlas column: Utah way, way too salty for Cyclones

AMES - Utah scored three touchdowns in a seven-minute stretch of the first quarter against Alabama two seasons ago on the way to a 31-17 Sugar Bowl upset of the Crimson Tide.

Saturday night at Jack Trice Stadium, the 10th-ranked Utes displayed the same sort of efficiently ruthless offensive precision that carried them to that perfect season and No. 2 final national ranking of 2008.

Utah was a team without pity in its 68-27 victory over Iowa State. It scored four second-quarter TDs in eight minutes and 51 seconds, draining the blood out the red-clad home crowd after the Cyclones had fired up those fans with a 14-10 lead after one quarter.

It wasn't a statement game for Iowa State, unless the statement was “Help!”

Their 52-38 home win over Texas Tech a week earlier was enjoyable, but fool's gold. Against this Top Ten team, the Cyclones' defense got mauled and its offense was never fluid for long.

It was the 35-7 loss at Iowa all over again, only this time the opponent didn't take its foot off the gas after the win was assured. Never before had an ISU team surrendered so many points in a home game.

When you're from the Mountain West instead of the Big Ten, you take every point you can get in a Big 12 stadium.

The Utes shrugged off their early miscues, trampled ISU's defensive front, and made hay of the Cyclone secondary.

Utah wasn't necessarily faster than Texas Tech. But it sure was sharper and tougher, on both sides of the ball. Especially in that second quarter, when it forced punt after punt and racked up 31 points and 278 yards.

By the time the fourth quarter was 11 seconds old and the Utes led 58-20, they had pass plays of 53 and 61 yards, interception returns of 57 and 49 yards, a punt return of 78 yards, and a kickoff return of 100 yards.

Yet, just as lingering a memory is how quickly and methodically the Utes drove down the field so many times. They played with the pace and energy of a winner.

Which, of course, it has been. This is a program with two unbeaten seasons in the 2000s, with two resounding bowl wins over BCS conference teams, with nine straight bowl victories.

Iowa State? It shocked Nebraska and won an Insight Bowl last season in Paul Rhoads' first year as head coach. But it's still a long way physically and mentally from the kind that can consistently compete with the real big boys.

We saw that at Iowa City in September, we saw it last night in Ames, we'll surely see it again Saturday at Oklahoma.

The most merciful thing to do here is talk about the winners.

Antoine “Shaky” Smithson had one of the more-dazzling performances a player has given in this stadium.

His 78-yard punt return in the first quarter was two yards short of the end zone. It was a start-and-stop-and-restart masterpiece.

Smithson turned a reception into a 61-yard scoring play. He averaged 17 yards on his other four punt-returns, which is merely excellent.

And he the wide receiver threw – threw! – a 32-yard TD pass.

Last year, Weber State University organization Men of Weber gave Smithson its Compassionate Young Man of the Year Award, a wonderful honor given to those who show compassion through humanitarian deeds and activism against violence.

But neither Shaky nor his teammates had an ounce of compassion toward the Cyclones on Saturday.

BCS conference outsiders Boise State and TCU are already in the national-title discussion. Utah, headed for the Pac-10 next year, should be included, too. Again.