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Laramie, Wyo. • The Utah Utes didn't bother to do anything special to commemorate what might have been their last game here.
They merely threw the Wyoming Cowboys on the heap of thoroughly beaten teams that the Utes have left behind them this year.
The Utes defeated the Cowboys 30-6 in front of 20,014 at War Memorial Stadium on Saturday despite a less-than-perfect offensive effort.
Quarterback Jordan Wynn threw three interceptions, and Utah (6-0, 3-0) converted just five of 11 third downs against the fifth-worst defense in the nation, yet the Utes still managed to dispatch the Cowboys (2-5, 0-3) in dominating fashion.
"I can't turn the ball over in the red zone like that, but we still won by 24 points," Wynn said. "That shows how good this team can be."
The Utes will find out Sunday just how good everyone else thinks they are when the first Bowl Championship Series standings are released on ESPN during the BCS Countdown show at 6:15 p.m. MDT.
After outscoring their past five opponents 248-60, the Utes believe they should be right in the thick of the BCS talk, especially after top-ranked Ohio State and No. 5 Nebraska lost Saturday.
Yet they are also mindful that they slipped a spot to No. 11 in the Associated Press rankings after beating Iowa State 68-27 last week. It's why they view games against even struggling teams such as Wyoming as important ones, corner Brandon Burton said.
"It's not hard to get up for any game because every Saturday is a statement game for us," Burton said. "With these big wins we are trying to show the rest of the nation what we can do."
As wide of a winning margin as Saturday's game was, it also served as a reminder that the Utes still have some things to improve, especially as they head into the more challenging part of their schedule.
Utah might be able to make several mistakes and still whip Wyoming, but they can't expect a similar outcome against TCU, Air Force or the other teams that make up the second half of the schedule, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.
"We turned the ball over in the red zone and then in their territory," he said. We have to capitalize on those things. As the schedule gets harder, those things become more pronounced."
Utah's offense still did enough to pile up 431 yards on the Cowboys, with Wynn finishing 16-of-25 for 230 yards and two touchdowns and Matt Asiata rushing 16 times for a season-high 109 yards.
The defense flirted with its first shutout against Wyoming since 2007, when Utah beat the Cowboys 50-0, but lost the opportunity when Wynn's last interception set up an eight-play, 42-yard Wyoming scoring drive with 7:23 remaining.
Luckily, the only thing that score harmed was Utah's winning margin. The game itself was never in doubt, thanks to a strong first half by the Utes.
The Utes, who entered the game outscoring opponents 101-7 in the second quarter, outscored Wyoming 16-0 in that period Saturday to lead 23-0 at halftime.
Wynn threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Luke Matthews in the opening minutes of the game, then hit DeVonte Christoper for a 16-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
After Wyoming went three and out, the Utes scored again on a 6-yard run by Eddie Wide. That touchdown was set up by a 30-yard pass from Wynn to tight end Brad Clifford.
The rest of the night was a matter of working the clock to finish off a workmanlike win.
"We did have our inadequacies tonight, headlined by three interceptions," Whittingham said. "We were minus-3 in the turnover ratio, which usually spells disaster, but we were able to overcome that."
Storylines Utes bid Wyoming farewell
R IN SHORT • The Utes overcome three interceptions by Jordan Wynn to beat the Cowboys for the fourth straight time.
KEY STAT • Wyoming has just 11 plays for four yards in the second quarter and is outscored by the Utes 16-0.
KEY MOMENT • Wynn throws a 45-yard touchdown pass to Luke Matthews in the opening minutes of the game to spark the win.
LOOKING AHEAD • First BCS standings will be announced Sunday on ESPN at 6:15 p.m. —
More photos
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