Utes figure to bring plenty of fire

The joke is Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has been practicing onside kicks since spring in preparation for this week's football game against UNLV.

There's little doubt the Utes haven't forgotten comments about being afraid to tackle UNLV tailback Frank Summers, especially considering they have been reminded by the media leading up to Saturday's 5 p.m. PDT game in Salt Lake City.

Utah also has been known to retaliate. A perceived slight prompted Whittingham to order an onside kick in the second half of a 50-0 victory over Wyoming last season, causing Cowboys coach Joe Glenn to raise his middle finger.

When told the joke about working on another such kick for UNLV, Whittingham laughed. "Make a mistake," he said, "and move on, I guess."

The question is whether the No. 22 Utes (1-0), fresh off a 25-23 victory at Michigan, have moved on. Certainly, they figure to be motivated enough considering their 27-0 beat-down by UNLV.

Summers rushed for 190 yards and two touchdowns in that game, blasting into three Utah players on one play and dislocating safety Robert Johnson's shoulder.

Two days later, UNLV coach Mike Sanford said the Utes were afraid to tackle the then-240-pound "Tank."

"It's very evident on tape," Sanford said. "They were avoiding trying to tackle him, no question in my mind."

Summers said at the time he and his teammates laughed as they watched the tape.

"People were just throwing themselves in front of me," Summers said.

The remarks, as expected, did not sit well at Utah, with Whittingham telling Salt Lake City's Deseret News the comments were "very low class."

Both sides downplayed any controversy this week, hoping not to create any more bulletin-board material for the Mountain West Conference opener for both schools.

"That's past history," Sanford said. "Our entire focus is on this season and this game. It's all about who plays better between 6:05 (MDT) and whenever the game ends."

Utah linebacker Stevenson Sylvester, a Valley High School graduate, said the Utes can't get caught up in payback for fear of losing focus.

Defensive end Paul Kruger agreed playing well in this game was the priority.

"All the jibber jabber on the side doesn't mean anything to us," Kruger said. "Anybody can say what they want to after a win."

Summers' performance will go a long way in determining who'll be chirping after Saturday's game.

"That's far more important, more critical that we take care of that than what was said after the game," Whittingham said. "Summers had a great game against us. He ran the ball effectively, and we've got to do something about that."

How much the Rebels use Summers is a mystery. He had more than 20 carries in four games last season and each time gained at least 100 yards. But Rebels coaches gave Summers the ball 17 or fewer times in seven other games, and his highest output was 52 yards.

In Saturday's 27-17 season-opening victory over Utah State, Summers carried just 14 times, averaging 6.2 yards per rush and totaling 87 yards.

Sanford said the Aggies' decision to bring their safeties forward caused the Rebels to limit Summers' carries.

"We're going to do with our team what we need to do to win, and if that involves Frank carrying the ball more, then we're going to do that," Sanford said. "If that involves throwing to Frank and anybody else, that's what we'll do.

"I can't look back on that (Utah State) game at all and question anything because we had no turnovers and no penalties on offense, which is a real plus. But in an ideal world, I would've liked to have gotten the ball to Frank more."

Summers has been the loyal trooper, saying he's more concerned with victories than touches. He'd like nothing more than to be part of another winning effort against Utah.

The Utes will be looking for him after what was said last year.

"They're probably still happy over winning the Michigan game," Summers said. "They've probably long gone forgot about that."

Depends on whether the Utes take a big lead and try an onside kick.

• NOTE -- UNLV cornerback Quinton Pointer and defensive tackle Jacob Hales, each with a dislocated left elbow, are not certain to play Saturday. Sanford said it will be a game-day decision for both.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.