Utah Utes football gameday

THE STAKES

For Wyoming ... The Cowboys need a win to avoid falling to .500 overall and in league play. A victory would put them one win away from bowl eligibility.

For Utah ... The Utes need a win to keep pace with TCU in the chase for an outright Mountain West Conference championship. Slim BCS hopes remain as well.

THE TRENDS

For Wyoming ... The Cowboys haven't won in Salt Lake City since 1999. They're 1-2 in road games this season — falling at Colorado (24-0) and Air Force (10-0).

For Utah ... The Utes have outscored the Cowboys, 90-7 over the past two meetings. Utah has won eight of the last nine games in the series, by an average margin of 24.2 points.

THE EDGE

Wyoming will win if ... Brian Hendricks and Gabe Knapton have big outings. The linebackers have combined to make more than 22 tackles per game.

Utah will win if ... The Utes win the battle on the ground. They're 5-0 this season when outrushing the opposition. Eddie Wide is seeking a fifth-straight 100-yard game.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Terrance Cain, Utah: The junior quarterback had a subpar outing in last week's 23-16 overtime win over Air Force. Wyoming's pass defense surrenders 232.1 yards per game.

KEY MATCHUP

Wyoming offense vs. Utah defense: The Cowboys rank eighth in the MWC in passing offense (186.7 ypg), total offense (328.6 ypg) and scoring offense (19.4 ppg). The Utes are among the league elite in all three categories defensively.

INJURY REPORT

Wyoming: Safety JaMichael Hall is out for the season with a knee injury.

UTAH: Strong safety Joe Dale is out 1-2 weeks with an unspecified knee injury.

NEXT UP

Wyoming hosts BYU on Nov. 7. Utah hosts New Mexico on Nov. 7 (4 p.m., The Mtn.).

SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Time (TV)

Sept. 3 Utah St. W, 35-17

Sept. 12 at San Jose St. W, 24-14

Sept. 19 at Oregon L, 31-24

Sept. 26 Louisville W, 30-14

Oct. 10 at Colorado St. W, 24-17

Oct. 17 at UNLV W, 35-15

Oct. 24 Air Force W, 23-16

Oct. 31 Wyoming 6 p.m. (mtn.)

Nov. 7 New Mexico 4 p.m. (mtn.)

Nov. 14 at TCU 7:30 p.m. (CBS C)

Nov. 21 San Diego St. 2 p.m. (VS)

Nov. 28 at BYU 3 p.m. (CBS C, mtn.)