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Las Vegas • Going into the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, the Utes knew they had to run the ball effectively in order to upset Boise State.

It didn't happen.

Then again, maybe Utah didn't try running the ball often enough.

Coach Kyle Whittingham hinted as much Wednesday night, after Boise State rolled to a convincing 26-3 victory at Sam Boyd Stadium.

The Utes' rushing attack wasn't overpowering, but it was more effective than their passing game.

Utah ran 29 times for 107 yards, leaving Whittingham to wonder if the Utes should have stayed with their ground game longer, even after falling behind 13-3 at halftime.

"We didn't run the ball horribly," he said. "In retrospect, play selectionwise, we probably needed to dial up the running game a little bit more than we did."

The Utes' 1-2 punch of senior running backs Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata were mostly punchless against the swarming Boise State defense.

Wide carried six times for 34 yards. Asiata carried five times for 26.

"It happens," said Wide, who is from Las Vegas. "We go out with a game plan, but sometimes that happens."

Crediting Boise State's defense, which limited Utah to only eight first downs and 200 total yards, Wide said, "They are a really good team. They came ready to play. But we made a lot of mistakes."

Noting that Utah's defense recovered three fumbles and intercepted one pass, Wide added, "They [Boise State] made mistakes, too. The difference was we didn't do anything with the ball when we got it back."

As a result, Utah lost for the third time in its final five games, going back to a 47-7 defeat against TCU.

"This is a tough loss for the seniors," Wide said. "But I had a great time out here. I'm glad that I was able to play my last game in Vegas in front of so many people I know."

Utah's inability to run the ball manifested itself in a couple of critical areas.

The Utes converted only two of 13 times on third down, mostly because down and distance was rarely favorable. Utah also held the ball for a little less than 27 minutes, leaving its defense on the field too long against Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore.

"I said going in, in the weeks preceding the game, that I thought their strong suit was their defense," Whittingham said.

Boise sacked Utah quarterback Terrance Cain four times.

"TCU is probably the best front we faced all year," Whittingham said. "But it's right up there among the top two or three."

Utah center Zane Taylor agreed.

"I put them right up there with TCU and Pittsburgh," he said.

The Utes' inability to run the ball kept them from a quick start.

"We had to be opportunistic," Whittingham said. "We had to make plays, and we weren't able to do that." —

Utes ground game

Utah's rushing statistics during its past five games:

Opponent Att. Yards Score

vs. TCU 17 51 Lost 47-7

at Notre Dame 29 71 Lost 28-3

at San Diego State 35 138 Won 38-34

vs. BYU 28 89 Won 17-16

vs. Boise State 29 107 Lost 26-3