SAN DIEGO — San Diego State still has a chance to win the Mountain West Conference championship.
With Colorado State coming up in Rice-Eccles Stadium this Saturday, Utah has to hope it has a chance to, well, remember how to win a game — or just play one like it means it — and save its coach's reputation and maybe his job.
Athletic director Chris Hill would say nothing about such things after Saturday's game. "I never have and never will talk about that," he said following the 36-17 Ute drubbing by a San Diego State team that couldn't even beat Idaho.
"A very humiliating loss," said the man whose seat is getting hotter each week, Ron McBride. "Bottom line, they outplayed us on offense, defense and special teams. They just beat us up and out-executed us."
A Ute team so prideful in the preseason is now a miserable 2-4 as it awaits a 5-2, 1-0 CSU, to whom it has lost four straight times. San Diego State moved to 1-5. More importantly, it is 1-0 in the MWC, while Utah is 0-2.
"It was just their time to win," said a frustrated Ute defensive tackle Garrett Smith. He and his defensive teammates couldn't get a pass rush going and couldn't do anything about the nation's leading receiver, J.R. Tolver, who had an MWC-record 16 receptions for a 185 yards, moving him to third all-time at SDSU.
"It's a new season," announced Tolver, adding the Aztecs knew they could move the ball and score but couldn't say much until they won one.
The Utes were whipped up one side and down the other Saturday in Qualcomm Stadium, and about the only thing that could begin to shift Utah's attention away from its losing streak that has now reached four games was the far-more-sobering injury to redshirt freshman Jaun McNutt.
McNutt absorbed a couple of monster hits, including one on the third-to-last Ute possession on an incompletion with about three minutes to go. He walked off the field and collapsed complaining of neck pain. He was stabilized and taken to nearby Mercy Hospital just hours after making the first receptions of his career.
McBride said McNutt was moving his extremities and otherwise behaving somewhat favorably, but medical personnel didn't want to say much until X-rays were taken. McNutt is from San Diego, and his family and Ute doctor Bob Burks went with him to the hospital.
Sophomore quarterback Brett Elliott, who made the first start of his collegiate career Saturday, wanted to take all the blame himself for the loss for losing his cool and throwing an interception late in the third quarter to help the Aztecs put a 17-point distance between the teams. They used the pick for an eight-play scoring drive, then used Elliott's second straight interception to set up a field goal.
Elliott said he got greedy trying to bring the Utes back from 20-10. "I played smart the whole game until that first interception. That turned the game. I should have never thrown it. I feel bad," said Elliott, who will remain Utah's starter according to McBride, who saw a reasonably good debut from him, other than Elliott's three interceptions.
Another Elliott start would get strong endorsement from receiver Paris Jackson.
Jackson, a senior, caught 13 passes for a career-best 110 yards and a touchdown, and he and Elliott had some real chemistry going. "I think he played a terrific game," said Jackson of Elliott. "He didn't panic." Jackson liked quick releases and zipped throws. "His game was great. I'm happy with his performance. He's going to come back and lead us to victory against Colorado State."
Which would be a nice change of pace for a team that's changed running backs, shuffled in new receivers and put some of its fourth-quarter hopes for a comeback from 30-10 on true freshman quarterback Alex Smith. Smith, from nearby La Mesa, gave up his redshirt year with 11:08 left and completed a pass for -1 to fullback Mike Austin, who absorbed a massive hit. Smith then was sacked on back-to-back plays for -11 yards when he could find no receivers open.
"We ended up having to force some things, especially in the second half," said Smith, who got another series and finished with an interception that was returned 29 yards for touchdown by Aztec Ricky Sharpe, who'd made the first steal against Elliott, too.
Utah's running game, re-established last game when Brandon Warfield made his first start against Air Force and gained 193 yards with three touchdowns and three fumbles, was non-existent again, totaling 32 yards.
"They did some twisting and stuff," said McBride. "It didn't look like we were getting a lot of movement up front."
The same could be said of a U. defense that was highly ranked against the run but let the nation's 116th run offense gain 116 yards, double its average. "We've got to be able to get off the blocks and get to the football," said McBride, but there was no evidence the Utes could do that or hurry the quarterback enough. Adam Hall was 26-for-39 for 294 yards and two TDs.
Ute corner D'Shaun Crockett did intercept Hall on SDSU's first drive of the game, tipping a would-be TD pass to Tolver skyward, catching it and running it to the Ute 35. "We didn't make enough plays as an entire defense. I'm really upset," Crockett said, adding, "We've got a lot of season left. Giving up is not the answer. We can't let that cancer go around the team."
"You've got two decisions if you're a Utah football player," said McBride. "You can stand up and be counted on or go the other way, and we're not going the other way."
"I believe we have good coaches, and we'll win five straight," said Jackson.
E-mail: lham@desnews.com