Week 7: Utah at Wyoming

This was supposed to be a highly anticipated game, after what happened between these teams last season, but the intrigue is pretty much gone.

About the only remaining question is whether the score will be 50-0 again. Wyoming has scored a total of three points in three Mountain West Conference games, and no amount of motivation is likely to change that.

Just the same, here's the background: Last November, Wyoming coach Joe Glenn "guaranteed" a win over Utah while speaking to a small group of boosters. So when the Utes took a 43-0 lead in the third quarter, coach Kyle Whittingham felt justified to insult Glenn with an onside-kick attempt. It backfired on Whittingham, who was vilified even in the Salt Lake City media, while Glenn also embarrassed himself at that moment with an obscene gesture directed at the opposing coach.

So the Utes have dreaded this trip to Laramie ever since, but whatever reception awaits them will be muted by Wyoming's offense. The Cowboys rank 118th in the nation in total offense, ahead only of Florida International, averaging 257.6 yards. Devin Moore remains a consistent rusher, but Wyoming's passing offense is comical. It quickly reached that stage last week at New Mexico, where Karsten Sween regained his starting job, only to have his first pass returned for a touchdown in the game's initial 15 seconds.

Sween still played the whole game in a 24-0 defeat, after the Cowboys had gone through four QBs the previous week in a loss to Bowling Green. He passed for only 71 yards, going 9-for-19.

Utah is riding high after scoring 11 points in the last 1:29 to overtake Oregon State in a 31-28 win, a week after the Beavers had knocked off USC. The only interesting aspect of this week's matchup is how Wyoming will be able to run against Utah's defense. The Utes rank sixth in rushing defense at 65.5 yards a game, while Moore is having a solid year for Wyoming, even with virtually no passing game to complement him.

Things to watch

Utah allowed 313 passing yards to Oregon State and ranks 76th nationally in pass-efficiency defense, a year after finishing first in that category. However, Wyoming is unlikely to exploit that weakness, with one of the country's worst passing offenses.

The Cowboys are last in the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring, averaging 9.3 points.

Utah has won seven games in a row and is tied for second nationally with Alabama, Penn State and Texas Tech, behind BYU's 15-game streak.

This is the first time since 1975 that Wyoming has been shut out in two consecutive conference games.

Key player (Utes) — Mike Wright, LB

A transfer from Southern Utah's Football Championship Subdivision program, Wright has stepped in this season and become the Utes' leading tackler with 6.3 stops per game and helping them rank sixth in rushing defense. Unless they change their approach completely, the Cowboys will stubbornly try to run against Utah, making Wright important.

Key player (Cowboys) — Karsteen Sween, QB

He was celebrated two years ago after shredding Utah's secondary in a 31-15 victory, but Sween has faded since then. Having lost his starting job this season to a junior college transfer, Sween was back in the lineup last week at New Mexico but passed for only 71 yards in a 24-0 loss. The Cowboys need more production from him if they are even going to score against Utah, much less win.

Utah by 43