The Utes open their final season of conference play Saturday against UNLV. The Utes will be going for their 19th straight home victory in a place where UNLV has never won a game.
Utah may be without starting QB Jordan Wynn, who sprained his thumb against Pitt, who is listed as questionable for the game. If Wynn can't play the Utes will go with proven backup Terrance Cain.
Against UNLV last year, Cain completed 17/24 passes for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed for 22 yards and 1 touchdown in the 35-15 win. If he gets the start, he should do just fine.
This is a game the Utes should easily win, as they are 21 point favorites. But everyone knows what happened in 2007, when the Utes overlooked the Rebels after a big home win. Since that game, which Whittingham describes as a "crossroads" for Utah, the Utes haven't overlooked an opponent. Don't expect them to do so Saturday.
In UNLV's lost against Wisconsin they used two QB's who both struggled. Mike Clausen got the start and was replaced by Omar Clayton after completing 4/10 passes. Clayton didn't do much better going 6/16 for 82 yards and a touchdown.
UNLV wont name their starting quarterback against Utah until gametime. They are both likely to play. Whittingham said that the Utes are preparing to face both quarterbacks.
UNLV struggled moving the ball and stopping the Badgers. They were outgained on offense 475 yards to 217. They gave up 278 yards rushing with Wisconsin averaging 5.6 yards per carry. With Utah's strength at running back, look for them to exploit that weakness.
Utah will want to clean things up after what was considered a "sloppy" win against Pitt. The Utes had two fumbles, an interception and a blocked punt in their close win. They can't get through their tough November schedule making mistakes like those so look for cleaning things up to be their biggest emphasis moving forward.
Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. MT and will be on the Mtn.
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