Leaving Las Vegas wasn't all that difficult for Stevenson Sylvester, Eddie Wide and DeVonte Christopher.

The former Nevada prep stars — Wide and Christopher were state players of the year — have no regrets about opting for Utah instead of hometown UNLV.

"Las Vegas is a great city," Sylvester said as the Utes prepared for Saturday's game at Sam Boyd Stadium. "But some kids just need to get out."

Wide, whose father played for the Rebels, simply wanted to do his own thing.

"I wanted to leave Nevada, get out and experience something different," he said. "When I came on my recruiting trip (to Utah), it was a great experience. The team chemistry and coaches were real good."

Christopher theorizes that many Nevada players shun UNLV because they feel disrespected. Some aren't offered scholarships until out-of-state offers are made.

"That kind of makes you wonder," he said.

The plight of UNLV's football program is bewildering to many of the locals, some of whom are calling for the firing of fifth-year head coach Mike Sanford. The former Utah offensive coordinator is 13-40 and coming off back-to-back lopsided losses to rival Nevada and BYU.

"I don't know why they're so inconsistent. I don't see how it's hard to recruit players to Vegas," Christopher said. "I don't know what else you want in a city. You've pretty much got it all in one."

Wide has a different take on the situation.

"They do a really good job recruiting and getting players, so I'm not sure what's going on over there," he said. "They actually get a lot of local kids, and I know they go to California and Hawaii a lot to get those guys."

Pinpointing UNLV's woes, thus, isn't easy. Opinions are as varied as the team's highs and lows.

"I honestly couldn't tell you," Sylvester said. "I don't know. Maybe it's just a little thing that they are missing."

As of late, that little thing has been defense. The Rebels have given up 122 points and a casino full of yardage over the past two weeks.

"We've had two very difficult games in a row," Sanford said. "... (Now) we are in a situation where we have another very good football team coming into our stadium Saturday night in the Utah Utes. We have a lot of respect for them."

UNLV's 27-0 win over Utah in 2007 is now a distant memory. Inconsistency has plagued the Rebels. Big wins have been followed by disappointing setbacks throughout the years.

This season started with promise. If it weren't for a late pass interference call in a 23-21 loss at home to Oregon State, UNLV could have opened the campaign with a 3-0 record. Then came a 30-27 loss at Wyoming, close enough to imagine 4-0 in a perfect scenario.