Utah - the next big game

Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007 | 7:48 a.m.

WHAT: UNLV vs. Utah

WHEN: 7 tonight

WHERE: Sam Boyd Stadium

TICKETS: $15 and up. 739-FANS or unlvtickets.com

Mike Sanford spent two years as the offensive coordinator at the University of Utah and helped engineer the Utes' remarkable turnaround, which culminated in a Liberty Bowl victory in 2003 and a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Alex Smith.

But that's not the reason Sanford, now in his third season as UNLV's head coach, called tonight's Mountain West Conference opener a "huge game" for the 1-2 Rebels.

"It's huge because it's our next game," Sanford said, repeating a phrase he uses roughly 11 or 12 times a season.

Sanford's history with Utah is less of a factor in tonight's game than UNLV's history with Utah: The Rebels have not beaten Utah since 1979, UNLV's only victory against the Utes in the 12- game series.

"It's pivotal to me because it's the next game and it's the University of Utah, and we've got to reverse the streak of wins that Utah has had over UNLV," he said. "That's a huge thing from a pride standpoint, from a motivation standpoint.

"I think our team can do something that no team at UNLV has done since 1979 - and I think that's a big thing."

Because he has been in Las Vegas for almost three years and this will be the third time Sanford has faced Utah, the novelty of facing the team he used to coach has worn off.

"It's quite a separation now , but I do know their coaches. I know the head coach and how he thinks," he said. "I know some of the players - a lot of them are gone - but I do know either some of the players that are there or were being recruited when I was there. That factors in."

Also factoring into the game's buildup is that Sanford is 0-2 against the Utes since taking over at UNLV.

The Rebels have been outscored 87-55 in those two meetings, including last year's 45-23 loss in Salt Lake City. But Sanford stopped short of calling this a potential turning point in the season for UNLV, which is coming off back-to-back losses at home to Wisconsin and Hawaii.

"I hate to ever look at a game and say that the whole season depends on this game," he said. "I've seen a lot of different situations over my years in coaching where people thought a certain game was a pivotal game and it turns out, in the end, it wasn't, but something else was."

Huddle up

Sanford, who is credited with helping develop the spread offense while at Utah, has watched the offense and its many variations become widely adopted among the college ranks.

Although some teams have opted to run the spread as part of a no-huddle offense, Sanford said he doesn't envision running the no-huddle at UNLV.

"We feel like we're better off huddling from a communication standpoint and a personnel standpoint because we do a lot of personnel changes," he said. "I've been involved in no-huddle offenses in the past and we have no-huddle capability ... But we think we're better off huddling."

Sometimes when a team runs a nohuddle offense, Sanford said, "you end up limited in your selection of plays because you tend to have fewer plays in your no-huddle package."

Sanford said having a relatively inexperienced quarterback in redshirt freshman Travis Dixon - and true freshman Omar Clayton as his backup - has not played into his decision to pass on a no-huddle scheme.

Numbers game

0 - Pass interceptions for UNLV's defense through the first three games of the season.

5-1 - Utah's record against UNLV in games played at Sam Boyd Stadium. 11 - Consecutive victories by Utah over UNLV since the Rebels' 43-41 win in 1979.

Brian Hilderbrand can be reached at 259-4089 or at bh@lasvegassun. com.