Cyclones: Utes' QB acquainted with ISU

AMES - Iowa State football fans were going to get acquainted with quarterback Jordan Wynn no matter what.

The quarterback from Oceanside, Calif., once was a Colorado recruit but decided against joining the Buffaloes. His next best options included the Cyclones and his eventual choice, Utah, which visits Jack Trice Stadium Saturday for a 6 p.m. game.

“I gave (ISU) a good look,” Wynn said. “It was appealing because they ran the spread and it was in a BCS conference. But in the end Utah was the best place for me.”

Wynn, a sophomore, was being courted by former coach Gene Chizik's staff.

But Austen Arnaud looked to have the starting job locked up for the foreseeable future. Wynn was looking for more of a chance to play right away.

“I knew he was kind of established there, and Utah just came off a Sugar Bowl season,” said Wynn, who replaced his current quarterbacks coach, Brian Johnson, under center. “All the pieces were kind of there for me.”

Utah has been one of the most successful programs in college football the past decade.

The Utes, 4-0 and ranked 10th, have averaged nearly 10 victories a season since 2003. They own 20 wins over teams from the six automatic qualifier BCS leagues since the system was formed 12 years ago.

“It wasn't any drop off at all in coming here,” Wynn said. “This is the last team Alabama lost to. That's not too bad.”

The Utes were the original “BCS busters” during the 2004 season. They beat Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl, a team whose defense was coached by current ISU head coach Paul Rhoads. Florida's Urban Meyer coached Utah at the time.

The program hasn't skipped a beat since.

The Utes won their second BCS game two years ago, capping a 13-0 season with a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama.

“They play the game so fast,” Rhoads said. “That doesn't mean that they are blessed with a bunch of 4.4 and 4.5 (40-yard dash) athletes. That is a team that understands exactly what it is they are supposed to do in all phases and plays it lights out. You do that when you have a culture that is established. They clearly have that culture established. When you do that, you start winning games.”

After 11 seasons in the Mountain West, Utah will join the Pac-10 Conference in 2011.

Wynn is trying to lead the Utes to yet another BCS game.

He started five games last season as a freshman and, when healthy, is their unquestioned starter.

In two games this year, Wynn has completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 507 yards and five touchdowns. Utah ranks sixth nationally in scoring offense at 44.2 points a game.

“They are definitely a BCS-level team,” ISU linebacker Jake Knott said. “They are phenomenal. Hopefully, we'll be ready.”

ISU and Colorado were Wynn's only major conference scholarship offers.

The chip on his shoulder isn't as big as some others on Utah's roster. They are one of three non-BCS conference schools ranked in the top 10 (TCU, Boise State) and really don't see themselves as underdogs anymore.

“We feel we are just as good as any of the other schools,” Wynn said. “We've established ourselves as a consistent top 25 team. We just come out to play.”