Defensive linemen Paul Kruger and Greg Newman, were both stabbed in the stomach after leaving a house party late Saturday night. Kruger underwent surgery, and released a statement today saying his condition was improving.

"It was a scary situation. I was with my sister, brother and friends, and you don't expect that to happen," the 6-foot-5 255-pound Kruger said.

Kruger, a freshman, was one of the Utes' top defensive players last season, finishing with 63 tackles and three sacks.

Chris Newman, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound junior from Thousand Oaks, Calif., visited doctors today who told him the two, 4-inch deep stab wounds to his abdomen should heal in about three weeks.

"I'm grateful that they didn't hit anything serious and that I'll be able to get go back to school in a few days and back working out in a few weeks," said Newman, a reserve who played in all 13 games and had 12 tackles.

Kruger's brother, David, Kruger, a high-school football player in Orem, Utah, suffered cuts to the face that required stitches. He was doing OK, his older brother said.

Sheriff's deputies determined the fight took place between the players and hecklers from a passing car.

The assailants haven't been identified, sheriff's Lt. Paul Jaroscak told The Associated Press.

"We don't believe they were stabbed at the party, but a half-block away at the corner, where they had some kind of confrontation with people who drove by," Jaroscak said today.

"Those people then got out of the car and assaulted" the three, he said.

Investigators are still trying to figure out what led to the fight.