UNLV Changed the Utes' Fortunes

It was a warm, late-night, late-September game in Las Vegas in 2007.  UNLV entered the game on an 11-game losing streak to the Utah Utes (and has lost 2 straight, soon to be 3, since).  Both teams were 1-2 coming in, but one had some promise and the other not so much.  On that night, however, the less-promising UNLV Rebels and Frank "the Tank" Summers ran wild over, through, and around the Utah defense.  The final score was 27-0, and it sure seemed like it could have been worse.  After the game, UNLV players joked about the weak, scared-to-tackle Utah defense.  This was from the same UNLV team that lost 8-straight to end that season.  It was, quite frankly, the absolute worst game in the Kyle Whittingham era.

However, that game and that (lack of) effort sparked the biggest turnaround that I have seen in college football.  After being mocked by an opponent (and I'm sure being yelled at thoroughly and repeatedly by their coaching staff), the Utah Utes have gone on the greatest stretch in the history of their football program.  The defense came together and said: never again.  In the 36 games since that night, Utah's defense has only surrendered 20 points 14 times, and has given up 30 points only 4 times.  They are also 32-4 over that time period, the greatest record in any 36-game stretch in their history (second best was 29-7).  In the 45 weekly polls since that game, Utah has been ranked in at least one of the polls for 29 of those weeks, also a number unmatched in their history, and, again, it's not even that close of a second (I believe the second best is 17 in 2003-2004, and after that, you are looking at only 4 or 5 weeks over a 3-year period in the late 90's).

Since that night, Utah has EARNED an invitation to the Pac 10.  Were it not for how they finished the 2007 season, the 2008 BCS season, and the 2009 10-win season, the course of conference realignment would be entirely different.  Who knows if the Pac 10 would have even expanded to 12? Who knows if the Big XII would be stuck as the Big X (as a side note, I believe their future conference motto should be: X marks the spot)?  It was not Urban Meyer's success that got Utah into the Pac 10.  It certainly was not Kyle Whittingham's first 2.25 years.  It all comes down to what happened since that late-night game at UNLV on September 22nd, 2007.

So now, Utah hosts the program that started it all.  UNLV changed the course of Utah's football history for the absolute better.  Without that taunting by the Tank, without that embarrassing number of missed tackles, and without that shutout (and huge upset) loss, the Utah program would probably still be the same Utah most of us grew up with: a quality basketball school with an occasionally not-bad football team, with a small, unenthusiastic fan base, whose biggest season goal was to beat BYU.  Now it's a quality football school with an occasionally bad basketball team, with a growing, enthusiastic fan base, whose biggest season goal is to go to the Rose Bowl (or National Championship, but let's be realistic here...it will be a long time before the Pac 10 sends any team to the National Championship again, and it isn't likely to be the Utes the next time it happens).  Playing BYU will be a nice addition to nine Pac 10 opponents and beating them will still hold a special place in their fans' hearts.  Here's to you, UNLV Rebels.