It rained, but not on Utah's parade Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The ninth-ranked Utes poured it on quickly and often in a 63-28 victory over UNLV.
They returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and scored on their first play from scrimmage in a record-tying and decisive start. The outburst fueled what wound up being the Utes' highest point total since a 66-point outburst against Idaho State in 1994.
"I think it was a great team effort," head coach Urban Meyer said after Utah scored six touchdowns on offense, two on special teams and one on defense. Kicker David Carroll tied a team record with nine PATs.
"Utah is a potential national championship-caliber team," said UNLV coach John Robinson. "Some people will question that, but they are playing good football and are as good as any team in the nation."
The Utes, who have now won 11 straight games over two seasons, scored 28 points in the first quarter, equaling a school-record previously matched three times (1969, 1983, 1997).
Morgan Scalley opened the outburst with a 90-yard kickoff return. Bo Nagahi fielded it deep in the end zone and ran it to the 10-yard line before handing it off on a reverse to Scalley, who rambled down a wide-open right sideline. Though several UNLV defenders wound up giving chase, he managed to cap Utah's first 100-yard return for a score in 19 years.
"Special teams did great tonight. We love that. It's a big part of the game," said Nagahi. "There was no better way to start the game than with Morgan's touchdown. It gave us a lot of momentum."
Just more than three minutes after Scalley's score, the Utes crossed the goal line again after Grady Marshall blocked a punt for the second consecutive week. Derrek Richards recovered it on the UNLV 27, where Alex Smith teamed with Steve Savoy on a touchdown pass.
Utah led 14-0 despite having the ball for just 24 seconds.
Following a missed field goal by the Rebels, the Utes embarked upon a lengthy scoring drive. An 18-yard scoring strike from Smith to Travis LaTendresse provided the finishing touch on an eight-play, 76-yard sequence.
Trailing 21-0, UNLV fired back with its first score. A 4-yard touchdown by Dyante Perkins put the Rebels on the board near the end of the quarter. It was overshadowed, though, by Utah's response. With just 24 seconds remaining, Smith ran 70 yards for a score. He rolled to the left before cutting and eluding several would-be tacklers. Savoy had a key block on the longest run of Smith's career.
Smith, who finished with 147 yards passing and 77 yards rushing before being replaced by backup Brian Johnson late in the third quarter, praised Savoy, the offensive line and a fake by running back Quinton Ganther for setting up the score.
The Utes maintained their momentum on UNLV's ensuing possession when defensive end Jonathan Fanene recovered a fumble inside Rebel territory. Less than a minute into the second quarter, a 29-yard touchdown run by Savoy increased Utah's lead to 28 points.
An exchange of touchdowns followed before the half was complete. UNLV scored on a 38-yard run by Dominique Dorsey before Utah countered with a 9-yard scoring strike from Smith to Paris Warren to make it 42-14
The halftime break failed to cool the Utes down. Though most of the 40,341 fans opted to head home because of the soggy weather, those who remained had several opportunities to cheer.
Utah extended its advantage to 63-21 in the third quarter by intercepting two passes, recovering a fumble and blocking another punt.
Defensive tackle Steve Fifita's 6-yard interception return for a touchdown sparked the barrage. It preceded a 28-yard run by Dorsey in UNLV's failed bid to climb back into contention. The Utes followed with a 2-yard touchdown run by Marty Johnson and Shaun Harper's end-zone recovery of a blocked punt by "Utah Man" Billy Kinsey.
The fourth quarter passed quietly — UNLV quarterback Shane Steichen's 25-yard TD run was the lone score — as the clock ran and the rain continued to fall.
It failed to dampen an impressive performance by the Utes, who entered the contest ranked seventh in the BCS standings, ninth in the AP Top 25 and 10th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.
"We're very proud of our guys. We had three scores outside of offense," said Meyer. "Our players are terrific. The head coach gets too much credit. The guys on this team are responsible for the leadership and focus."
Utah (7-0, 3-0) continues Mountain West Conference play Saturday at San Diego State. UNLV (2-6, 1-3) has a bye before playing host to Wyoming on Nov. 6.
E-mail: dirk@desnews.com