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The words are those of a hungry challenger, but they come from a team that was college football's undisputed middleweight champion just two years ago.

Thing is, Utah isn't merely talking like an underdog. The Utes are living the part.

Just listen to how coaches and players addressed Saturday's home showdown against No. 22 Boise State.

"I don't want to say we lost respect," second-year coach Kyle Whittingham said, "but this is an opportunity to get some of the attention back."

"Hopefully," defensive back Eric Weddle said, "we'll get the national audience to watch us."

"We've got to go out and make a name for the team now," quarterback Brett Ratliff said.

Make a name?

Didn't Utah already do that in 2004, when it crashed the BCS party with a spotless record and a Fiesta Bowl title?

Sure, it did, but for any midmajor, status has a short shelf life, and the spotlight easily is redirected. Utah realized that in 2005.

The Utes lost their coach (Urban Meyer), their quarterback (Alex Smith) and 14 starters, including five first-team All-Mountain West Conference selections. Presenting a two-deep littered with underclassmen, Utah stumbled to a 3-4 start.

"Fiesta Bowl Champions, 12-0, a lot of guys were relying on that to get them through the season," Ratliff said. "We came out and lost some close games, big games, games we should have won. We finally realized that this is a different year, a different time."

Weddle noted that many of Utah's young players didn't play in 2003 or 2004. They watched from the sideline.

And what they saw looked easy.

"After that '04 season, we were all so spoiled," Whittingham said. "We weren't even challenged. The closest game, I think, was like a 20-point victory. So it (2005) was certainly a situation where we had to earn everything. Just because we're the undefeated Fiesta Bowl champs the year before, people don't care about that.

"They're going to come in here, give us their best shot, and, if we're not ready, we're going to get drilled."

The Utes didn't quite get drilled, but losses to North Carolina and San Diego State certainly stung. They bottomed out against the Aztecs and watched a 10-game home win streak disappear.

"It was a big slap in the face," Ratliff said. "We realized it's not the same team. We've got different guys, a different coach."

Utah responded to win three of its final four regular-season games before pounding Georgia Tech in the Emerald Bowl, the school's fifth straight postseason victory.

The Utes started slow again this season, falling 31-10 to UCLA in the opener. Befuddled by UCLA's two new coordinators and revamped schemes, Utah received a refresher course on the importance of preparation.

"We don't have a two-, three-deep like some of the big-time schools," Weddle said. "That's a fact. But where we get other teams is we work hard and we prepare harder than other teams. That's where we get our victories."

Utah has gotten three big victories since the UCLA setback, albeit against pockmarked competition. The Utes beat Northern Arizona, Utah State and San Diego State by a combined score of 131-14. They are the only Division I-A team not to have allowed a sack this season, and they rank 21st nationally in scoring offense (35.2 ppg).

But the bigger story is a defense that ranks 11th nationally in scoring (11.2 ppg) and 19th in both yards allowed (253.8 ypg) and passing yards allowed (149 ypg). Weddle, the 2005 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, leads the unit after switching to cornerback from safety because of Shaun Harper's broken wrist.

"It was real frustrating," Weddle said of changing places. "Three games into the season, I was playing corner and didn't have one ball thrown my way, so it was hard to lead this team and be that guy that everyone looks up to."

His plight was eased last week, when he scored three times -- twice on interception returns, once on offense -- against San Diego State, earning Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week honors.

"Some weeks, when he plays his best, he won't even show up in the stats," Whittingham said. "This past week, he had a chance to make some plays and he converted every one of them. It's not like having a great offensive weapon where you can feature him and just keep feeding him the ball."

Weddle has alternated between safety and cornerback throughout his career, but Whittingham knows where the senior will play at the next level.

"No doubt about it, he's a safety in the NFL," Whittingham said. "If he was able to play safety for an entire year, he may have 10 interceptions."

Utah could use a few picks Saturday against Boise State, which ranks 14th nationally in scoring offense (36.2 ppg) and 12th in rushing offense (222.3 ypg) behind star sophomore Ian Johnson.

"He's going to take them as far as that offense can go," Weddle said of Johnson. Boise State's desired destination is a BCS bowl, the midmajor nirvana Utah already has enjoyed. Throughout the 2004 season, the Broncos and Utes were linked in their quest to upend the BCS system (Boise State's undefeated run ended against Louisville in the Liberty Bowl).

Saturday, the pacesetters meet.

"Everyone has wanted to see this matchup," Weddle said. "It's a couple years behind than what many people wanted to see, but we're excited."

So are Utah fans. The game sold out last Thursday.

When Ratliff went to pick up his tickets this week, he saw 150 students lined up at the booth.

"There's definitely buzz going around," Ratliff said.

A buzz Utah wants to maintain. Next Thursday, the Utes play host to TCU, the team that succeeded them atop the midmajor hierarchy.

Oddly enough, Utah, the flag bearer for BCS busters, can depose of two midmajor hopefuls in a six-day period.

"This is a big game," Weddle said. "It's big-time. They're Top 25 and it puts us on the brink of getting back in there. And then we have TCU, ranked top-15. This is a huge part of our season. It's going to mold what people think of the Utah Utes in the 2006 season.

"Hopefully, it's a good one."

Adam Rittenberg covers college football for the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald.