San Jose State (1-2) at No. 13 Utah (3-0), 8 p.m. EDT (no TV)
Line: Utah by 31 1/2.
Series record: Utah leads 5-1.
Last Meeting: 2009, Utah 24-14.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Utah is coming off one-sided wins over UNLV and New Mexico and is looking for a final tuneup before a week off, then three road games in October. San Jose State is just trying to survive a brutal first month that included road games against top-ranked Alabama, No. 11 Wisconsin and now the 13th-ranked Utes.
KEY MATCHUP
Utah’s defensive front vs. San Jose State’s sputtering offense. Utah more than doubled its season total with five sacks last week against New Mexico and faces a San Jose State team that is averaging just 244 yards of offense and 11 points per game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
San Jose State: LB Vince Buhagiar, a freshman who moved from offense to defense midway through training camp and is tied for the team lead with 20 tackles.
Utah: WR/KR Shaky Smithson has returned punts for touchdowns in each of the last two games. He is one short of Steve Smith’s school record of three in a season, set in 1999.
FACTS & FIGURES
Utah moved up to No. 13 in this week’s AP Top 25, the Utes’ highest ranking since finishing the 2008 season at No. 2. … Utah QB Jordan Wynn resumed throwing this week after missing the last two games with a sprained right thumb. Coach Kyle Whittingham said Wynn was likely to play Saturday, but would not say whether the Utes would still start Terrance Cain for a third straight game. … San Jose State hasn’t visited Salt Lake City since 1974, when the Spartans won 24-6 for their only victory in the six meetings. … The Spartans are playing three teams from the state of Utah this season. Their first win under coach Mike MacIntyre came on a late touchdown to beat Southern Utah 16-11 last week. The Spartans also host Utah State in November.
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