The U football team hasn’t had a five-game winning streak since 1996, when Ron McBride was still the head coach and Juan Johnson and Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala powered the rushing attack.
But Urban Meyer and this year’s version of Utah football have the chance to accomplish exactly that this Saturday afternoon when the team travels to Las Vegas to take on the UNLV Rebels (4-2, 0-1 MWC), a team that torched the No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers 23-5 in Madison earlier this season.
The Utes, fresh off a victory over San Diego State in their homecoming game last week, will be taking part in the Rebels’ homecoming game Saturday at 1 p.m. MDT.
Since dropping a 28-26 nailbiter to Texas A&M on the road on Sept. 6, the Utes have won four-straight contests, thanks in large part to the play of new starting quarterback Alex Smith.
Smith replaced incumbent starter Brett Elliott following the loss to the Aggies because Elliott suffered a fractured left wrist on the Utes’ final play of the game.
But despite the fact that Elliott is healthy enough to return, he won’t be doing so this week-and it’s unlikely he will be back in the starting lineup at all this season.
Smith has staked his claim to the job over the last four weeks of play, having gone 115 pass attempts without throwing an interception.
Completing more than 71 percent of his passes, Smith is No. 2 in the Mountain West in passing efficiency.
Running an offense that has been opened up in recent weeks, Smith has proven to be quite a find-at least so far.
He has, of course, had a lot of help through the weeks.
Junior tailback Brandon Warfield is the conference’s leading rusher, averaging more than 122 yards per game. Paris Warren, who played very litte during his first two collegiate seasons at Oregon before transferring to the U, has emerged as one of the top wideouts in the MWC. He was, in fact, the Utes’ only real threat at the receiver position through the first few weeks of the season.
But over the past two games, the receiving corps surrounding him has finally sprung to life.
Freshman Steve Savoy has 274 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns over the last two contests alone, and has firmly established himself as a big-play threat.
The recent performances of Savoy and senior tight end/wideout Ben Moa, who has finally become the clutch over-the-middle receiver coaches expected him to be, have been one of the biggest reasons why the Utes were able to knock off two Pac-10 teams-the California Golden Bears and the then-No. 19 Oregon Ducks-as well as traveling to Fort Collins and defeating the Colorado State Rams, the reigning MWC champs who were the preseason favorites to take the conference crown once again in 2003.
But right now, the Utes certainly aren’t paying attention to what they have done over the past month. They’re concentrating on the UNLV Rebels.
“UNLV is a very good team, as evidenced by its victory over the No. 12 team in the nation,” Meyer said. “I think UNLV has some of the best talent in the league, along with Colorado State, San Diego State and us.”
The Rebels need a victory to stay in the hunt in the Mountain West. In Colorado Springs last weekend, they were toppled 24-7 by Air Force, who is undefeated in conference play this year.
But getting win number five is sure to be a tough one for UNLV, which has never beaten Utah since the formation of the MWC in 1999. The Utes are, in fact, the only team the Rebels have yet to defeat in that time.
Last year’s meeting between the two teams was a memorable one for the Utes. Having lost six consecutive ballgames following a promising 2-0 start, Utah was all but out of the bowl picture already by the time the team hosted UNLV last Nov. 9.
But the Utes, behind three touchdown passes from Elliott, snapped their six game skid and topped the Rebels 28-17 in what would be the first of three-straight wins to end the 2002 season.
This Saturday afternoon, in the Rebels’ territory this time, the Utes have far more serious implications on the line. A win would make keep them undefeated in conference play and would give them their sixth victory of the season, making them bowl-eligible already.
A convincing victory may even put the Utes in the top 25 for the first time all season.
But regardless of national rankings, the Saturday matchup holds serious meaning for both teams. Should Utah win, it would take an enormous step toward its goal of a conference title. Should the Utes lose, they still have to win on the road over both Air Force and BYU if they still hope to compete.
As for UNLV, the team hasn’t made too much of a case for itself in recent weeks, following the Rebels’ upset win over the Badgers. But a victory will put them right in the hunt in the Mountain West Conference.
