No. 14 Utah preps for punchless Wyoming

By MATT JOYCE

Published October 10, 2008 at 7:42 a.m.
Updated October 10, 2008 at 11:23 a.m.

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CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) _ With No. 14 Utah traveling to Laramie to face Wyoming on Saturday, the unbeaten Utes will be looking to continue their climb up the rankings while Wyoming grasps for momentum to salvage a season in decline.

Weather is likely to be a factor as forecasters are predicting temperatures in the upper 30s at game time, a 60 percent chance of precipitation — possibly snow — and 25-mph winds.

"It just makes play a little tougher for both teams," said Wyoming coach Joe Glenn, whose Cowboys lost 24-0 on a rainy night in New Mexico last weekend. "I don't think it's an equalizer necessarily."

Utah (6-0, 2-0 Mountain West) is coming off a 31-28 home victory against Oregon State. In a conference call with reporters, coach Kyle Whittingham brought up Utah's last trip to Wyoming, when the Utes were defeated 31-15 two years ago.

"It's just always a tough environment," Whittingham said. "Laramie is always a tough place to play and the last time we went up there we got whacked."

Whittingham didn't mention last year's matchup, when the Utes beat Wyoming 50-0 in Utah. It's a scoreline that's become disturbingly common for Wyoming (2-4, 0-3), which has struggled mightily on offense and been shutout twice in Mountain West play this season. The Cowboys rank last in total offense in the conference.

Glenn said his team's morale is "sensational" despite some bad breaks.

"We've not had momentum for about three games. We've started the last three games in the very first series turning the ball over for a touchdown. Those things can weigh on you, but I'm so proud of our kids for powering through it," he said.

"We're playing pretty well on defense, pretty well on special teams, and we have got to find a way to score on offense," he said.

Quarterback Karsten Sween will make his second start of the season for the Cowboys after taking the job from sophomore Dax Crum, who was plagued by turnovers during the first five games this season.

"Wyoming has struggled a little bit this year with turnovers and being unsettled at quarterback. That really has been their nemesis, those two areas," Whittingham said. "But the running backs are very good. ... That in our estimation is the strong suit of their football team right now is the way their tailbacks run the football. They're good runners and we got our hands full with the run game."

Whittingham said he was pleased with Utah's defensive effort against Oregon State but needed to improve against the play action pass.

"Their team speed on defense is sensational," Glenn said. "They've got tough linebackers, I think the best linebacking core we will have seen this year."

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