Still yet to see a complete game from Utah, hopefully that happens this week, but you can't really argue a 42-21 win over UNLV, especially after what they did to the Utes last year.
Offense: B - In the first quarter, Utah looked pretty pathetic on offense, barely moving the ball and eerily mirroring last year's game against the Rebels. I still don't know why they came out flat, but the offense looked much better in the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns and moving down the field with rather ease. That set up a fantastic third quarter, where the Utes scored 21 unanswered points to take a commanding lead in the game.
The offensive line did its job of not allowing UNLV to pressure Brian Johnson and in return, Johnson looked far more poised than he did in the second half against Michigan. Because of this, Utah was able to work the UNLV defense, something they probably should have done earlier in the game.
Defense: B+ - Utah's run defense looked so much better than it did a year ago, keeping Frank Summers below 100 yards on the day. It wasn't a perfect effort, especially in the first half, but Summers was a threat and the Utes kept him contained. The Rebels didn't have an extremely good night in offensive production, only managing 288 yards and because of that, outside of the first half, they weren't able to put too much of a scare into Utah.
Special Teams: A - The special teams looked worlds better Saturday than they did against Michigan. No blocked punts, no missed extra points and the Utes actually had some solid returns. Hopefully this type of play can continue throughout the season, as this has been an obvious weakness for Utah over the years.
Coaches:
- Andy Ludwig: B - Whittingham said they didn't make any adjustments on offense in the second half, so the struggles might not have been with the play calling, but the play itself. I guess if that's the case, Ludwig called a pretty decent game. The Utes mixed it up on offense in the second half and once they hit their stride, pretty much scored at will. In fact, they could have put up more points on UNLV had a penalty not negated a big play late in the fourth.
- Gary Andersen: B - Like always, Andersen had the defense ready to go. They struggled a bit early, especially that first drive, but settled in and UNLV couldn't get much going on offense the rest of the game.
- Kyle Whittingham: B - He had the team ready to play, unlike last year and that's what they needed. They were a bit slow out of the gate and for that, it wasn't the perfect game it should have been. Hopefully, though, that won't be a problem against Utah State Saturday.