"We watched the film of it last year and we were a little bit embarrassed to get shut out like that," said Brown. "So we were happy to win tonight."

In beating the Rebels, the Utes took a more important step than one might think. It not only proved they can even old scores, but it showed they can pay attention to lesser planets than Michigan.

That's because historically the Utes can get ready for big games. It's the conniving neighbor that does them in. If not UNLV, it's Air Force. If not Air Force it's Wyoming. If not Wyoming it's New Mexico.

The Utes have all too often played down and up to their competition.

Consequently, they couldn't afford to let up this week. You can't beat Michigan one week and lose the next week to the team Sports Illustrated rated No. 101 in the nation.

People will think you're a fraud.

Worse yet, they'll think you're scared.

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E-mail: rock@desnews.com