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twitterUNLV FOOTBALL:
Take Five: Getting to know Utah
After putting Mountain West on the map, No. 24 Utes are back
AP PHOTO
Utah quarterback Terrance Cain leaps for extra yardage during the Utes’ 24-14 victory over San Jose State back on Sept. 12. Cain steers Utah’s high-powered offense, and has completed 76 percent of his in the team’s last two games as they enter Saturday’s 7 p.m. showdown with UNLV at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Friday, Oct. 16, 2009 | 2:30 a.m.
The Rebel Room
Make room for hoops
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Ryan Greene and Rob Miech shift to a multi-purpose approach with the latest edition of the Rebel Room, talking about both FirstLook 2009 for the UNLV hoops squad coming up on Friday night, and also the Rebels' homecoming gridiron showdown with Utah on Saturday night.
Reader poll
Next game
- Opponent: Utah
- Date: Oct. 17, 7 p.m.
- Where: Sam Boyd Stadium
- TV: The Mtn. (Cox ch. 334)
- Radio: ESPN Radio 1100 AM
- The Line: Utah by 16.5
What others are saying
Read what other writers are saying about UNLV's upcoming game against Utah:
- Salt Lake Tribune: Vegas son hopes for best
- Salt Lake Tribune: Shutout loss to UNLV in '07 opened Utes' eyes
- Salt Lake Tribune: Utes ready for UNLV air attack
- Deseret News: Notebook: Team must soon decide whether to redshirt Wynn
As far as mid-majors go, Utah is about as vaunted of a program as you'll find.
The No. 24 Utes are right there with the likes of Boise State as teams that can hang with just about anyone.
That was confirmed last season, when a veteran club under the leadership of Kyle Whittingham ran through the regular season undefeated, then upset Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
Several leaders from the 2008 team are gone, and after a summer in which league commish Craig Thompson held the Utes up on the projector screen as proof of everything that's wrong with the Bowl Championship Series, they're right back at it.
With a 31-24 loss at Oregon already this season, a third BCS berth since 2004 is pretty unlikely at this point, but Utah is still beyond dangerous.
Here's a closer look at why, as the 4-1 Utes enter Sam Boyd Stadium to face the 2-4 Rebels at 7 p.m. Saturday night.
1) Cain is pretty able
Junior quarterback Terrance Cain had maybe a tougher assignment than any of the Utes' new faces entering this season.
Not only did he replace the graduated Brian Johnson, who was one of the more decorated QBs in recent Mountain West history, but he carried the pressure of keeping the program's 14-game win streak going coming into the season.
At just 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Cain has excelled in the spread offense.
Through five games, he's completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,162 yards and eight TD tosses, and has run for another 281 yards.
After that win-streak ended at 16 games in Eugene, Ore., on Sept. 19, Cain got right back on track. And in a big way.
In Utah's past two games, he's not only averaging 4.2 yards per carry, but Cain has completed 76 percent of his passes for 450 yards, with four touchdown passes to just two interceptions.
The Utes also appear to be set up for the long term at quarterback, as Cain — a transfer from Blinn (Texas) Community College — beat out highly-regarded Jordan Wynn for the starting position. Wynn is being groomed as the gunslinger of the future.
2) Wide can take Utes far
A knee injury to star senior running back Matt Asiata during the Utes' 30-14 victory over Louisville on Sept. 26 thrust junior backup Eddie Wide into action.
Pretty much for good, that is.
With Asiata shelved for the rest of the season, Wide, a Cimarron Memorial grad, will be shouldering much of the load out of the backfield, as he's the Utes' most reliable — and healthy — option at the moment.
Wide, who started four games for Utah a year ago, has 231 yards on 36 carries in two games since Asiata went down, including a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns in last week's come-from-behind 24-17 victory at Colorado State.
At 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, Wide has impressive open-field speed to burn, resulting from his track days at Cimarron.
The question remaining for Utah in the run game involves who backs up Wide.
Listed at No. 2 this week is redshirt freshman Sausan Shakerin, who has one carry for 46 yards this season, but hasn't played in the Utes' last three games due to various injuries. Coach Kyle Whittingham has said that Shakerin won't play until he's back to 100 percent, so obviously, he's close.
The other option is junior Shaky Smithson, who switched from receiver to running back just a couple of weeks ago out of necessity at the position, though he hurt his ankle against CSU and is questionable against UNLV.
3) Another local product to watch
The leader of Utah's defense is senior linebacker Stevenson Sylvester, who played his prep ball in Las Vegas at Valley High.
Sylvester leads the Utes this season with 29 tackles, and has just 1.5 tackles for loss to his credit.
But at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Sylvester could have an NFL future.
Last season, he was the Utes' second-leading tackler with 73 stops during the memorable undefeated campaign, and drew second-team all-MWC honors.
He burst onto the scene in the Sugar Bowl — and into the notepads of several NFL scouts, too — by registering seven tackles, three sacks and a fumble recovery against Alabama.
4) Good luck bucking the trend
One of UNLV's biggest problems in recent weeks has been getting some push up front on defense, both in the run and pass games.
The Rebels rank 113th against the run out of 120 FBS teams, and their seven quarterback sacks in six games are tied for 101st.
On the other end of the stick, Utah ranks 19th in rushing offense, averaging 205.2 yards per game on the ground, while their seven sacks allowed are good for 41st.
Now, of course, you could attribute the lack of sacks to having a mobile quarterback in Cain. But he plays behind one heck of an offensive line, which is anchored by senior tackle Zane Beadles — another future pro.
Beadles was first-team all-MWC last year and is a legitimate All-American candidate this season, and at 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds is not the easiest guy to push around.
UNLV will probably have to get creative if it hopes to get Cain, Wide and friends under some heat.
5) There is some silver lining for UNLV
Despite all of the Rebels' recent struggles, and as bad as things may look right now, recent history does suggest that UNLV will have an opportunity to make this a game.
Well, mostly it's because Utah has been far from dominant on the road thus far in 2009.
It started with their second game of the season at San Jose State, when Utah needed 17 points in the fourth quarter to escape with a 24-14 victory. In that game, the Utes lost two fumbles and committed 11 penalties.
At Oregon a week later, Utah drew 10 flags, had two Terrance Cain passes intercepted and never looked fully comfortable in a crazy road atmosphere.
Then, last week against the Rams, Utah had two more costly turnovers, and needed another heroic fourth quarter effort to open league play with a win.
What does all of this mean? Well, yeah, Utah is good and experienced in crunch-time situations, but the key for the Rebels will be to put them in those by jumping on the Utes early.
If UNLV can't do that, however, a third consecutive lopsided defeat wouldn't come as a surprise to many.
Ryan Greene can be reached at ryan.greene@lasvegassun.com or 702-948-7844.
Discussion: 16 comments so far…
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Next Basketball Game
Dec. 12, 4:00 p.m. (PST)
- UNLV: Schedule & Stats | Roster
- Kansas State: Schedule & Stats | Roster
- Location: The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV
- NCAA: Odds | Schedule | Stats
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This game is going to be a blowout...UNLV doesn't have a chance in this one.
I am going to assume that Sanford won't be gone until at least after the New Mexico game although a coaching change needs to be made sooner than that.
www.firemikesanford.com
Happy to see that even the sports writers in Las Vegas recognize Utah's superiority as THE dominant football program in the MWC.
Sorry to do to you what we are going to do to you on Saturday, but IT'S GREAT TO BE KING!
Utes (63) UNLUV'D (24) - The disaster continues. Utah will pile up over 600 yards of offense and the rebels will quit in the second quarter when they realize they aren't any good on either side of the ball.
My hunch is Sanford stays the whole season and then is fired only because the public pressure will force UNLUV's hand. If Smatresk was going to fall on him like a ton of bricks he would have done so by now. Smatresk has bamboozled the fans into thinking he cares about the "NO" football program at UNLUV but he isn't any different. Hey Smatresk, dont speak about it be about it!!!
(Check this): Trotter only has 10 carries since he called out the coaches and the team for their lack of preparation and heart during the Wyoming meltdown.
I wonder if Sanford is over his temper tantrum and gives Trotter the ball. I can see right thru this coaching staff, great way to treat a player who speaks the truth about this team.
Most likely another Rebel loss Saturday Night but you never know
sanford should know utah.didnt he come from there.
Sanford doesn't even know his own team.
(Sanfords postgame excuse after UNLUV'D loses by 35 this week): "We just practiced too hard against one another this week and that really hurt us for tonights game because we beat each other up and just weren't physically prepared for tonight for the UTES".
UTAH is not that good in football. They got luck last year TCU was a better team.
Anyway our coaches are so bad that our team has no chance.
The poor guys were doomed from the start. We have better athletes and are actually a worse team.
UNLV football needs new coaches.
UNLUV has got to be the one of the worst D-1 programs in the history of college football. I bet if you were to look up their all time winning percentage it will be right at the bottom with the worst D-1 programs of all time. I bet they are in the bottom five of the worst ever!!
(Thats a project for somebody on this board who is a stat guru).
Memo to the UNLUV'D fans: You can rant, scream, boycot, picket line, flatten Koloskie's & coach Sanford's tires, I don't see it changing anything for this dismal program who is proud of their history of losing big. There is a culture of losing, a mindset at UNLUV that has never been broken, heck they expect to lose all the time and look what they do, lose all the time. I feel bad for real rebel fans because you have died a million deaths with this program. I feel ya but my inner makeup will not allow me to root for losers, I just cant do it.
War Eddie Wide dropping 2fitty on UNLUV's 11 confused guys on the field.
Hey, BetOnBlack; of course we expect to lose all the time and look at what we do, lose all the time. We don't want to flatten the coaches tires just steal them. Yes, we are a culture of losers but I wouldn't have it any other way
Ok, hire Larry Kehres!
wheres sufferinsuccotash when you need him!
Can we tackle anyone this week? Instead of trying to tackle up high, maybe wrap up instead of just hitting them? Fundamentals is necessary at any level of football. But, i have seen too many fundamental mistakes. Plus, bad coaching calls and play calling. Perhaps the mentality is to TRY to win, even though a lot of people have written off the Rebs at this point.
GO REBS!
I really want to get on board full time and root for UNLUV but I can't do it anymore until some major changes are made. I think that a lot of fans share this same sentiment with me at this point. E'nuffs enough already with this program.
I hope the rebels can win this game tonight but reality says it's going to be another lopsided loss. I just don't see them having anything left in the tank after halftime and they will give up again.