GAME NOTES: Back in the AP poll this week at No. 24, the Utah Utes try to spoil UNLV's Homecoming celebration as the two squads clash in a Mountain West Conference showdown at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday night.

The Utes began this season with high expectations, not to mention the longest win streak in the nation, and continued on by posting wins against both Utah State and San Jose State. Unfortunately, the good times came to an end on September 19th when the squad was dropped by Oregon in a 31-24 final on the road.

Since then Utah has been working its way back into the national spotlight, first defeating Louisville (30-14) at home in Salt Lake City and then taking care of Colorado State in Fort Collins last weekend (24-17) to move to 4-1 on the campaign.

As for the Rebels, they started off 2009 well enough with wins over Sacramento State and Hawaii, with a disappointing 23-21 loss to Oregon State lodged in between. Since the one-point win against the Warriors at home on September 19th, the Rebels have known nothing but defeat, bowing to the likes of Wyoming, Nevada and most recently, BYU in a 59-21 final last Saturday night. After playing three straight games in which the outcome was decided by three points or less, the Rebels have been outscored in the last two by a combined 122-49.

UNLV trails in the all-time series by a count of 12-2 after watching Utah secure a 42-21 win in last year's meeting. However, the Rebels actually beat the Utes the last time the teams met here in the desert, posting a resounding 27-0 victory which snapped an 11-game slide for UNLV versus the Utes. The only other win for the Rebels in the series came in 1979 when Todd Peterson converted what was then a school-record 49-yard field goal, capping a 43-41 decision in Las Vegas.

"A road win is a great way to start out conference season," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said of his team's effort against CSU last weekend. "Terrance Cain did a great job, particularly in the second half. Eddie Wide had over 100 rushing yards and David Reed had 140 yards receiving. Our offensive live did an outstanding job."

Wide was the one who put the Utes ahead to stay in the fourth quarter as he scored on a one-yard run early in the frame and then caught an eight-yard TD pass from Cain with under four minutes remaining. Cain was 24-of-32 passing for 248 yards and a couple of TDs and one interception.

Defensively, the Utes also raised their intensity level late in the third quarter and throughout the fourth as they recorded three straight interceptions after giving up back-to-back touchdowns in the third frame. Not only did Robert Johnson make five tackles for the Utes, he also stepped up and made all three interceptions, on his way to being named the MWC Defensive Player of the Week.

"Robert Johnson's three interceptions were the primary difference in the game," coach Whittingham acknowledged. "He is a tremendous athlete, and when you only have five or six possessions in the second half and three end in interceptions, that is a big advantage for us."

Not only does Johnson now have four interceptions on the season, he also has a pair of fumble recoveries for a unit that could use some turnovers to go in their favor with important conference games highlighting the calendar at this point in the season. The Utah pass defense has been rather stout thus far, allowing just 164.6 ypg to rank third in the conference and 18th nationally this week, the pass efficiency defense showing a rating of 95.5 which is tops in the league and 13th in the country right now.

Cain has been learning on the fly at the quarterback position, throwing for almost 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns through five games, but he also has five picks in 156 attempts. His presence also gives the team an added bonus in the running game because he is averaging close to 60 yards per contest on the ground.

UNLV had such high hopes for this season, yet another one with head coach Mike Sanford on the proverbial hot seat. For the first three seasons in Vegas, Sanford finished with a total of just six wins, a mere three in 24 MWC opportunities, so after he and the team finished 5-7 last year there was reason to be optimistic.

However, getting blown out by BYU, on their own field, is no way for the Rebels to show that they have turned the corner and are ready to dig themselves out of the MWC cellar.

"First thing is to give BYU credit," coach Sanford said after the lackluster display by his Rebels. "They are a very good football team. They are the 18th- ranked football team in the country and they played like it."

The combination of Omar Clayton and Mike Clausen at quarterback didn't scare the Cougars in the least, with the visitors coming up with three interceptions and sacking Clayton twice, even as he tossed a pair of touchdowns. Ryan Wolfe caught eight passes for 69 yards, but he failed to get into the end zone again.

Most troubling for the Rebels was their lack of a ground attack, generating a mere 45 yards on 19 attempts, with Clausen being the high man with 17 yards on five carries. While the Rebels were tripping over themselves trying to make something happen on the ground, coach Sanford was watching the Cougars run all over the field.

"We didn't tackle well enough to win. Any time a team rushes for 291 yards, you didn't tackle well. We have to tackle better."

Take away the season opener against Sacramento State in which the Hornets were allowed to score just three points, and the defense has been atrocious for the Rebels this season. In every aspect, UNLV has been picked apart and it doesn't appear as though the team is going to catch a break this weekend. After six games, UNLV ranks 116th in total defense, permitting a hefty 476 ypg, which has led to 35.2 ppg (eighth in the conference and 112th nationally).

Getting pressure at the line of scrimmage has not been an easy task for the Rebels, as the team is last in the conference and 109th this week with an average of only four tackles for loss per game. Sacks are also a rare commodity for the program, averaging 1.17 per game to rank last in the MWC and 101st in the nation.

With 7.3 receptions per game, second-most in the Mountain West, Wolfe is one of the only bright spots in an otherwise gloomy season for the Rebels yet again. Clayton has certainly benefited from Wolfe being open so often down the field, even though the wideout has just a single TD on 44 receptions this season. Clayton currently owns a streak of 14 straight games in which he has thrown at least one touchdown pass, the longest streak in the conference at the moment.

Utah is not about to let another opportunity to move up in the national rankings slip away, so expect to see Whittingham pull out all the stops this weekend as the Utes throw a wrench into UNLV's Homecoming plans.