Rebels not sure which Utah QB they will see

UNLV's 11 defenders will stand on the Sam Boyd Stadium field Saturday evening and watch with everyone else as Utah's starting quarterback enters the game.

Until then, Utes coach Kyle Whittingham won't reveal whether that will be Tommy Grady or Brian Johnson.

He might not even know until close to the 7 p.m. kickoff. Or maybe he does. It doesn't matter -- he's not telling.

UNLV coach Mike Sanford said he wasn't concerned about the suspense, saying the Rebels are preparing more for Utah's spread offense than the player running it.

"I really don't think that they're that much different," Sanford said.

Whittingham has made that point, saying the Utes don't change their style of attack depending on who's in the game.

Johnson fits the system better because of his running ability.

Grady is more of a drop-back passer, but he showed in Saturday's 44-6 win over UCLA that he can run this offense. The Oklahoma transfer completed 17 of 30 passes for 246 yards and three TDs.

That was the only second career start for the senior. On Sept. 8, Grady completed 20 of 39 passes for 240 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in a 20-12 loss to Air Force.

"It took a little while to get the speed of the game down," he said. "It was hard in the first game, and then I started to feel good in the second half."

He was thrown into service because Johnson separated his right shoulder in a season-opening 24-7 loss to Oregon State. He didn't begin throwing again until Monday.

If Johnson is ready to play against UNLV or the following week against Utah State, Whittingham left no doubt who will start.

"Brian is still our quarterback," Whittingham said. "... We don't have a controversy."

Johnson, a junior, showed two seasons ago why Whittingham wants him at quarterback. Johnson completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 2,892 yards with 18 TDs and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 478 yards and eight scores.

Grady said he would leave the decision to the coaches. Because of his performance against the Bruins, though, Grady provides the Utes with peace of mind.

"It gives us the opportunity to be very judicious with Brian Johnson's comeback and err on the side of caution and make sure we don't rush things," Whittingham said.

Unfortunately for Johnson, he is too familiar with being hurt. He tore left knee ligaments in a November 2005 game against New Mexico. Johnson underwent surgery nearly three weeks later and missed last season to recover.

"It was very difficult at first because I'm a competitor and I wanted to be on the field making plays," he said. "But as the season went on, it became a lot easier. I learned a lot from the experience and became like a coach on the field."

After two significant injuries, a player could be excused for any hesitancy, but Johnson insisted he won't play tentatively whenever he's put back in the lineup.

"I'm going to leave everything on the field," Johnson said. "I'm not going to go out there thinking I'll get hurt because that's when you get hurt sometimes. You've just got to go play football."