ESPN College Football

On the night of Sept. 22, the most down-and-out group in Las Vegas couldn't be found along The Strip or at the craps tables.

They sat in the visitors' locker room at Sam Boyd Stadium, humiliated by what had just taken place. A week after destroying then-No. 11 UCLA by 38 points, Utah sashayed into its game against UNLV and got smacked around. Like many visitors to Sin City, the Utes wound up with nothing.

The 27-0 loss marked the first time the Utes had been shut out since 1993. Their 11-game winning streak against UNLV was snapped, and their season record dipped to 1-3.

"We embarrassed ourselves," running back Darrell Mack said. "We were overlooking teams, which was dumb on our part."

As senior defensive end Martail Burnett surveyed the sad scene, two words came to mind.

"Never again," he said. "That was our mentality."

Utah hasn't flinched since the UNLV debacle, winning six consecutive games. A once-doubtful fifth straight bowl appearance now is a strong possibility for Utah, which is tied for third place in the Mountain West.

The Utes' streak includes road wins at Louisville and TCU. Their most complete performance came Saturday, when they flogged Wyoming 50-0 after Cowboys coach Joe Glenn guaranteed a win last week at a pep rally. Things got worse for Glenn, who flipped Utah the bird after the Utes attempted an onside kick with a 43-0 lead and was reprimanded by the conference.

"Just for the simple fact that he guaranteed it, guys played with a chip on their shoulder," junior quarterback Brian Johnson said. "Some guys felt disrespected."

After the UNLV loss, the only respect the Utes wanted to gain was their own. How they went about getting it seemed boring, but there was no better way.

No signs were put up, no T-shirts were printed, no superfluous meetings were held. Utah's practice the Monday after the UNLV loss mirrored its workout the Monday after the UCLA win.

Routine was the remedy.

"We didn't wholesale change or start grab-baggin' or change what we were doing," third-year coach Kyle Whittingham said. "You can't be so rigid so you don't have any flexibility, but we believe in our system, and we stuck with it. We didn't point any fingers, didn't fragment within.

"Just fought our way through it."

It's the Whittingham way. The 47-year-old is a coaching metronome, never straying from his steady beat.

For players unsure of where their season was headed, Whittingham became a symbol of stability.

"He's definitely one of the most consistent guys I know," Johnson said. "He won't change. Very tough, very resilient guy. This team has definitely taken on his personality. It's showing in our play."

Added Whittingham: "I'm not a gimmick coach. I don't believe in that. We just take care of our business."

The Utes didn't resort to sweeping turnaround tactics in large part because logic could explain their losing. They had three key offensive starters -- wide receiver Brent Casteel (torn ACL), left tackle Jason Boone (torn ACL) and running back Matt Asiata (broken leg) -- suffer season-ending injuries before Week 3.

Johnson, who redshirted last season because of a knee injury, separated his right (throwing) shoulder in the second quarter of the season opener. He missed the rest of Utah's 24-7 loss to Oregon State and the next two games. Linebacker Matt Martinez and wide receiver A.J. Reilly also were lost for the season with injuries.

Utah has lost nine starters to injury since August.

"No excuses, but mass injuries can devastate a football team," Whittingham said. "I've coached 20 years now, and I've never been through a situation where we've had to shuffle the deck so many times."

Getting his trump card back helped, although not right away.

With Utah down 13-0 at halftime against UNLV, Whittingham called for Johnson even though the junior's shoulder was only 60 percent healed. Johnson completed 12 of 19 passes for 78 yards in the second half, but the Utes "found every way in the world to kill drives," Whittingham said.

Johnson returned to the starting lineup the next week against Utah State, and the Utes haven't lost since. Utah is careful about using Johnson as a runner and limits his number of deep throws, but the offense has scored enough and reduced mistakes during the winning streak.

"It's huge, can't be understated," Whittingham said of having Johnson back. "All those intangibles you look for in a quarterback -- the general mentality, the poise, the confidence -- he brings that to the table.

"Since Brian came back [as the starter], we're 6-0. I keep going back to that."

As a 17-year-old true freshman in 2004, Johnson backed up Alex Smith, the current San Francisco 49ers quarterback, with whom he remains close friends. The eventual No. 1 overall draft pick "prepared like none other," Johnson recalled, and guided his young teammate.

Johnson spent another year learning the game, although not by choice. He didn't want to redshirt last season and could have returned by Week 3 or 4, despite undergoing knee surgery on Dec. 1, 2005.

But he ultimately opted to sit out and let the knee heal fully. He spent his time game-planning with coaches, logging film and signaling plays to quarterback Brett Ratliff on Saturdays.

"It was huge for me," Johnson said. "Understanding situational football, understanding tactical football, getting on the same page as the coaches and understanding exactly what they're thinking, that definitely helped me this year."

Johnson's presence stabilized the offense, but several others made it move.

Since becoming the starter Sept. 15, Mack has rushed for 89 or more yards in all eight games, gaining 100 or more yards in six. Running behind a remodeled offensive line that starts a sophomore left tackle (Zane Beadles) and a freshman left guard (Caleb Schlauderaff), Mack ranks second in the league and 22nd nationally in rushing average (110.6 ypg).

"I saw the opportunity and ran with it," Mack said. "I'm not going to let it pass me. I took that very seriously. I had to show up and let people know that I'm serious."

Utah's defense has showed up all season, tying for fifth nationally in scoring (16 ppg). Despite losing superstar safety Eric Weddle to the NFL, the Utes rank eighth nationally in pass defense (179 ypg) and fourth in pass efficiency defense (95.6 rating).

Helping a revamped secondary is a formidable pass rush led by Burnett and defensive tackle Gabe Long. Utah ranks ninth nationally in sacks (3.2 spg) and 14th in tackles for loss (7.7 per game.)

"A lot of young guys had to step up and play," Burnett said. "Unfortunately, we lost three [games] while trying to find our personality, but for the most part, the team has a good grasp on what works."

These days, everything is working for the defense. Utah has shut out opponents for seven consecutive quarters and hasn't allowed a touchdown for 10 quarters.

"We've got evidence," Burnett said. "We can throw cards on the table and say we beat this team and that team, but in order to really back that argument up, you've got to continue winning."

Utah's quest continues Saturday against New Mexico, which has an identical record (7-3, 4-2) after winning four of its past five games. The Lobos have been the league's best clutch team, winning five games by 10 points or fewer.

With a fail-safe kicker (John Sullivan) and a solid running back (Rodney Ferguson), New Mexico has won eight straight games decided by 3 points or fewer.

"We don't get too excited about things going well; we don't get too down about things not going well," coach Rocky Long said. "Our team has an even temperament."

Sound familiar?

Utah got the extra motivation it needed last week from Glenn's guarantee. The Utes need nothing to get geeked for the Lobos, who have won four of the past five meetings between the teams.

"Every team's out to get us," Mack said. "We're taking all these games real personal. There's a lot of great talent on this team.

"We don't want to put that to waste."

Adam Rittenberg covers college football for the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald.