UTAH IN CRUISE CONTROL TO BEAT UTAH STATE

Though nominally an in-state rivalry game, the season opening contest between Utah and Utah State was a typically one sided affair.  Utah entered the contest on a fourteen game straight up winning streak, while Utah State stumbled to a 3-9 season in 2008.  After a closely contested first quarter, Utah pulled away behind JuCo transfer QB Terrance Cain before winning 35-17 in Salt Lake City.

While the Utes cruised to victory, college football betting investors who backed the Aggies were rewarded with a pointspread cover as Utah State stayed within the +20’ number.  The 52 combined points just managed to creep OVER the posted total of 50.  Utah State’s first year coach Gary Andersen was a longtime assistant at Utah before taking over the program in Logan, so the Utes’ may have ‘called off the dogs’ facilitating the Aggie cover.

Cain was making his first start as the Utes’ starting signal caller and he posted impressive numbers.  The Texas JuCo product finished with 287 yards on 20 of 30 passing and two touchdown passes against a single interception.  Afterwards he insisted that even on a much higher level, football is football:

"I really didn't feel nervous. I've played this game a long time. I was just trying to stay composed. I never really get too excited."

Despite the relatively easy victory, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham knew full well that his team has a lot of work to do before they’re ready to take on tougher challenges:

"We turned the ball over three times and that can be a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, the entire defense was very efficient."

Utah State’s first year coach was happy with his team’s overall effort, but concern about their problematic execution:

"The team showed flashes of where I want them to be and they played tough, but they didn't execute on crucial plays.”

He continued to suggest that the return to the Utes’ home field at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Salt Lake’s east bench wasn’t as emotional as he imagined before giving the Utah squad due credit:

"Utah played a great game. They made plays and we didn't. That was the difference."

The in-state rivalry between Utah and Utah State has been very one sided in recent years; this loss represented the 12th straight win for the Utes in series.

Utah will hit the road for their next two contests.  Next Saturday they’ll play at San Jose State, which finished 6-6 a year ago.  The following week they’ll face their biggest non-conference road game as they head to the Pacific Northwest to take on the University of Oregon.  They’ll return to Salt Lake City the following Saturday for another tough non-conference game against the University of Louisville.  Utah State’s schedule won’t get much easier in the short term as they also go on the road to play Texas A&M on Saturday, September 12.  They’ll return on Saturday, September 26 to meet 1-AA/FCS foe Southern Utah.