This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Comcast broadcast ads all week that said Utah had a bye Saturday. The TV network was only slightly off as Utah's game against San Jose State was hardly a contest.

On a day when many ranked teams were pushed to their limits by upset-minded opponents, the No. 13 Utes (4-0) made quick work of the struggling Spartans (1-3) as they took a 56-3 win in front of a homecoming crowd of 45,099 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The Utes played their cleanest game of the season as they had no turnovers, had just one penalty and allowed no sacks.

The defense held San Jose State to just 172 total yards. San Jose State's only score came after a 71-yard kick return in the first quarter that set up a 20-yard field goal.

"It was an exceptionally clean game," a satisfied Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We cleaned up a lot of things that were plaguing us in the last few weeks.

"There were a lot of positives in just about every phase of the game."

Jordan Wynn started for the first time since spraining his thumb in the season opener and was 14 of 18 for 124 yards and two touchdowns before he left in the third quarter with the game well in hand.

"We are right where we need to be," he said. "Going into the game we wanted to play a clean game and that is what we did. We had no turnovers, which is always huge."

The win, while perhaps not the most shocking considering the Utes were 32-point favorites, was impressive in its own right for what it wasn't.

The Utes took the Spartans as seriously as they said they were going to do and were able to lock up another easy win.

Other big favorites had a much more difficult day with Air Force winning a close one at Wyoming 20-14, No. 7 Texas losing to UCLA 34-12, Tennessee needing overtime to beat UAB 32-29 and No. 8 Oklahoma barely escaping with a win over Cincinnati, 31-29.

Just in case his team had thoughts of overlooking the Spartans, Whittingham told the players they'd have to practice just three days during the bye week if they played well. If they didn't, they'd have to practice Monday through Saturday for their Oct. 9 game at Iowa State.

Apparently the Utes like football, but not enough, to want extra practice days as they took it to the Spartans from the beginning.

Reggie Dunn scored on the Utes' first offensive series on a 43-yard run to spark Utah's biggest victory since it beat UTEP by the same score in 1997.

"All three phases were clicking tonight," Whittingham said. "The defense was outstanding in the red zone and held them to the one field goal."

The Utes took advantage of two blocked punts in the second quarter to lead 35-3 at halftime, allowing the second string to get most of the playing time in the second half for the third straight week.

Since outlasting Pitt 27-24 in overtime in the opener, the Utes have outscored their last three opponents 150-27.

The Utes have avoided any struggles against lesser opponents because they put such a priority on taking each week seriously, center Zane Taylor said.

"We know in the past it has hurt us to overlook opponents and we've proven we don't look past anyone," he said. "We come to play every week no matter who it is."

Now the Utes head into their bye week with confidence and their highest ranking ever at this point in the season.

"We are right where we wanted to be," said receiver Jereme Brooks, who had five catches for 44 yards. "We wanted to be 4-0 going into the bye week and we have a lot of momentum."

lwodraska@sltrib.com Twitter: @sltributes, @lyawodraska Colin Kaepernick beat Brigham Young University with his arm. He beat the Cougars with his legs. And he beat them with his instinct, talent and drive.

But, ultimately, the Nevada Wolf Pack quarterback beat the Cougars by simply being too much.

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound senior completed 16 of 25 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown. He ran for 82 yards on 17 rushes and added another TD. —

Storylines

R IN SHORT • The Utes enjoy their largest victory since 1997, when they beat UTEP 56-3.

KEY MOMENT • The Utes block back-to-back punts in the second quarter and score off both opportunities for a 28-3 lead.

KEY STAT • The Spartans convert just one third down and finish with just 172 yards against the Utes.