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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Football Team Plays UNLV On The Road Saturday
10/17/2005 12:00 AM | Football
Oct. 17, 2005
SALT LAKE CITY -
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A few notes on this week's Utah-UNLV football game follow. Please download the PDF document for the complete release and statistics.
> Utah (3-4, 1-3 MWC) plays UNLV (2-5, 1-3 MWC) in Las Vegas, Saturday, Oct. 22 ... Kickoff is 4:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. MT) in Sam Boyd Stadium ... Utah has never lost to UNLV as members of the same conference. The Utes are 9-1 all-time vs. the Rebels, with their only loss in 1979. Details on the series can be found on page 2 of this release ... It will be the 1000th game in Utah football history ... ABC (Ch. 4 in Salt Lake City) will televise the game.
> Utah is looking for its first road victory of the season and its 200th all-time road win. The Utes are 0-3 away from Rice-Eccles Stadium, losing to TCU (23-20 in overtime), North Carolina (31-17) and Colorado State (21-17).
> Utah leads the Mountain West Conference in total offense, averaging 446.43 yards per game. For complete Utah rankings, please see page 3 of this release.
> Utah has lost three straight games since starting the season 3-1. It is Utah's longest losing streak since 2002, when it dropped six straight.
> Utah needs to win three of its remaining four games to avoid its first losing season since 2002 and to become bowl eligible.
LAST WEEK
Utah piled up a season-high 592 yards of total offense but came up short on the scoreboard, losing 28-19 to San Diego State. The Aztecs stunned Utah by scoring on their first two possessions to jump to a 14-0 lead. Utah was poised to cut the lead in half at the start of the second quarter, moving inside the SDSU 10-yard line, but came away with just three points on a 24-yard field goal by Dan Beardall. He later booted a career-long 47-yarder. The Aztecs weren't out of danger until they recovered a Quinton Ganther fumble in the end zone late in fourth quarter for a touchback. Brian Johnson passed for a career-high 417 yards (10th-best in school history) and rolled up 483 yards of total offense (fourth all-time at Utah). Brian Hernandez had a career-high 148 receiving yards, while Ganther finished with 93 yards rushing (1 TD) and 98 yards receiving.KYLE STYLE
Kyle Whittingham (3-4, 1st year) made history in his first game as head coach when he helped Utah break a 75-year-old school win streak record with a victory over Arizona. He and his team extended the record streak to 18 games a week later against Utah State. Named head coach on Dec. 8, 2004, Whittingham has been a member of the Ute staff since 1994, when he coached the defensive line for Utah's 10-2 Freedom Bowl champion team. He was promoted to defensive coordinator a year later--a position he held until his promotion to head coach. In his 11 years as a Ute assistant, the program compiled an 86-41 record and played in six bowl games (winning five). He served as co-head coach at the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, helping to lead Utah to a 35-7 victory over Pittsburgh. The Ute defense recorded 14 top-20 statistical rankings during Whittingham's 10 years as the coordinator. Utah led the league in scoring defense in four of the last six years (placing second the other two).A NUMBERS' GAME
Utah averages more rushing (177.3-164.0), passing (269.1-202.3) and total yards (446.4-366.3) yards per game, yet has scored exactly the same number of points as its foes (169 total, 24.1 ppg) ... Utah has acquired 152 first downs to 136 by its opponents ... Utah is converting on 41% of its third down tries (46-113) to 40% by its opponents (38-95) ... Utah leads in time of possession by nearly five minutes a game (32:15-27:45).GRIDBITS
UNLV has three former Ute assistant coaches on its staff: Rebel head coach Mike Sanford was Utah's offensive coordinator and running backs coach from 2003-04; Kurt Barber, now the linebackers and special teams coach at UNLV, coached Utah's defensive ends in 2003 and the linebackers in 2004; and Keith Uperesa, Utah's tight end coach last season, coaches the offensive line at UNLV ... Utah has two Las Vegas natives on its roster, both graduates of Cimarron High School. Sophomore linebacker Taylor Miller has played in three games this season for special teams, including the last two. Freshman defensive back Kyler Rushton is redshirting.Players Mentioned
Head Coach Kyle Whittingham weekly press conference - 10.27.25
Monday, October 27
Utah: 53, Colorado: 7 | POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Saturday, October 25
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - ESPN's Fran Fraschilla
Wednesday, October 22
Head Coach Kyle Whittingham weekly press conference - 10.20.25
Monday, October 20