Utah Utes vs UNLV Rebels Football Recap

Utah 38, UNLV 10

While many of the big-conference pundits may have secretly had their fingers crossed, hoping for a letdown after Utah’s down-then-up overtime victory over then-No.15 Pittsburgh on Sept. 2, there remains yet another ‘small-conference’ team from the West looking to make some waves. The Runnin’ Rebels from Las Vegas managed to keep Saturday afternoon’s Mountain West Conference opener deadlocked for a quarter, but Utah ran away with the game to the tune of a 38-10 victory. It was Utah’s 19th consecutive victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

The Utes sat starting quarterback Jordan Wynn with a sprained thumb, due to contact with a lineman’s helmet last week. Senior backup Terrance Cain – given a moment of opportunity – did not disappoint Coach Kyle Whittingham. Cain completed 13 of 20 passes for 207 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers in his first start since week eight of last year. 

Utah’s running game took over in the second quarter, with running backs Matt Asiata and Eddie Wide wearing down UNLV’s defense. By halftime the Utes had a 17-3 lead compliments of Wide’s ballcarrying quality and a 20-yard scoring strike from Cain to Jeremy Brooks.

The true margin of victory was quite a bit larger than the score indicated, as UNLV’s only touchdown came on a blocked punt in the third quarter, sandwiched between sudden standout Shaky Smithson’s two touchdowns for Utah. Smithson – who fumbled twice against Pittsburgh and did his level best to rob the Utes of momentum in that ballyhooed season opener – got back on the beam against Vegas. He took his only reception of the game 55 yards, and later returned a punt 77 yards for his second score of the afternoon. Smithson’s punt return crushed any momentum the Rebels may have had, creating an insurmountable 31-10 lead for the home team. 

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Wide – who finished with 77 yards on 15 carries for a tidy average of just over five yards per carry – punched in his second touchdown of the night on a 13-yard jaunt early in the fourth quarter, and all but the most diehard Utah fans began their happy walks to their respective parking spots at Rice-Eccles. 

While the Utes may have held possession of the ball for only 23 minutes, they maximized what they did with that possession time. Moreover, credit must be given to their defense, especially their secondary. Quarterback Omar Clayton of UNLV managed to complete a mere 18-of-37 passes for 217 yards. This is one of those games where the ‘tale of the tape’ doesn’t necessarily ring as true as it normally does: Utah was penalized for more yards than UNLV; held possession for 13 fewer minutes; had fewer passing yards; and had 14 fewer rushing attempts. Yet, the game wasn’t close. 

It was all because of the efficiency of the Utes’ attack, the persistence of Eddie Wide between the tackles, and the playmaking ability of Shaky Smithson. 

With the win Utah moves to 2-0, and 1-0 in its final season in the Mountain West. UNLV, 10 years removed from its last bowl-game showing, falls to 0-2, 0-1 in the MWC. 

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer