UNLV coaches friends or foes?

Hours after Utah's 44-6 win over then-11th-ranked UCLA, Kyle Whittingham received an early morning telephone call from a friend in Florida.

It was 5 a.m. when Urban Meyer congratulated Whittingham on the upset victory. Whittingham, in turn, praised Meyer on Florida's 59-20 triumph over Tennessee.

"I was extremely happy for him, too," Whittingham said. "It was a good weekend for the Gators and the Utes."

The coaches formed a bond while working together at Utah in 2003 and 2004. They keep in touch on a regular basis.

UNLV coach Mike Sanford is also in the mix. He was the Utes' offensive coordinator during that era. Though Whittingham and Sanford aren't as close as they used to be because of the Mountain West Conference rivalry, the former coordinators remain on friendly terms.

Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium (8 p.m., The mtn.), Whittingham and Sanford will match wits as head coaches. Other ties to Meyer's staff at Utah include three full-time assistants. Gary Andersen is now the Utes' defensive coordinator, while Kurt Barber is UNLV's co-defensive coordinator and Keith Uperesa oversees the Rebels' offensive line.

"Coaches are friends," said Andersen, who runs into his former colleagues on the recruiting trail. "It's fun to sit and talk to them — see how they're doing and how their families are doing."

Without question, he added, the bonds are tight.

"I believe if you're on a staff with somebody for a period of time you're always going to be close with those people," Andersen said.

Especially so, he continued, during a special season like 2004 when the men coached Utah to a perfect season and a historic berth in the Bowl Championship Series.

"That will be special forever. We'll probably be sitting around talking about that 20 years from now," Andersen said. "No question we'll never forget that year."

That was then, however, and this is now.

And it's all business with both teams seeking a much-needed conference victory.

Since parting company, the staff that remained in the MWC has met with mixed results. Utah has gone 16-12 under Whittingham, while UNLV is just 5-21 with Sanford as head coach.

The Utes have won 11 straight over the Rebels, including the past two with Meyer's former coordinators at the helm of each team.