Utah Utes: Team prepares for Rebels

Utah returns to the scene of the crime this weekend. Saturday's game at UNLV marks the 24th-ranked Utes' first appearance at Sam Boyd Stadium since a stunning 27-0 setback on Sept. 22, 2007.

"We all know what happened two years ago. It was a situation where we didn't play very well at all," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, who called it a devastating loss. "So we've got to be ready to go, have our minds right and have a great week of practice."

The Utes apparently learned a lesson from their last trip to Las Vegas. They've gone 25-2 since.

"I guess you could say it was a defining moment," Whittingham said. "I just think it was a wake-up call for a lot of guys on the team that 'Hey, you've just got to be ready to play and the mindset has got to be right each and every week.'

"That doesn't guarantee victory every week," he continued. "But it guarantees that you'll play good football."

And that is Utah's aim each week.

Senior linebacker Stevenson Sylvester, a Las Vegas native, said the Utes are heading back to his hometown with revenge on their minds. It clouds the issue.

"It takes off the focus of game, off the game plan," he explained. "We've just got to go out there and execute. Do what we do, nothing extra."

That, however, may be easier said than done.

Sylvester admits the loss to UNLV is still bothersome. Some of his old high school buddies have tried to tease him about it.

"We didn't play so good as a team," he recalled. "That game was something else."

Besides the disappointment of getting shut out for the first time in 14 years, Sylvester wasn't happy the Utes gave up so many points.

Obviously, there's plenty of motivation to turn things around.

"We've just got to go out there and give them our best shot," Sylvester said.

Determination, though, may not single-handedly get the job done.

Reflecting back to 2007, Whittingham said there were no indications in practice that week that something bad was on the horizon. But when the game started, he noted, the Utes were flat and ineffective.

"I think it was an eye-opener for a lot of guys," said Whittingham, who noted that it heightened his awareness as to how critical the mindset of a team is. "It can negate talent."

And talent is something Whittingham believes the Rebels have, even after a rough 2-4 start to the season — compounded by back-to-back lopsided setbacks to Nevada and BYU.

"UNLV's had some tough losses as of late," he acknowledged. "But I still maintain they've got good skill people on offense. They're able to put points on the board."

e-mail: dirk@desnews.com

Utes on the air

Utah (4-1, 1-0) at UNLV (2-4, 0-2)

Saturday, 8 p.m. (MT)

TV: The mtn.

Radio: 700 AM