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Johnson, Utah look for revenge against Air Force

Sep 20, 2008 - 10:09 AM No. 20 Utah (3-0) at Air Force (3-0), 4:00 pm EDT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Ticker) -- Ranked or unranked, Utah always has had trouble with Air Force.

The 20th-ranked Utes look to avenge last year's loss to the Falcons when they continue their rivalry Saturday at Air Force in the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams.

The Falcons snapped a four-game losing streak in the series last September, dropping the Utes to 0-2 on the season with a 20-12 victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The Utes (3-0), fresh off a 58-10 rout of in-state rival Utah State last weekend, seemingly have put last year's inconsistencies behind them. However, nothing is ever guaranteed against Air Force.

Even during the school's history-making 2004 season, during which Utah went undefeated behind head coach Urban Meyer and became the first non-BCS school to appear in a BCS game, Air Force was the biggest threat to spoil perfection.

In a September 25, 2004 showdown in Salt Lake City, the Falcons jumped out to an early 14-0 lead before the high-powered Utes finally took the lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first half.

Utah went on to win, 49-35, but it was the team's stiffest test of the year.

The Utes' last two victories over the Falcons both have been by three points - including a 17-14 decision in 2006 that came down to Louie Sakoda's last-second 37-yard field goal.

In 2003, Meyer's first season at the helm, the Utes needed three overtimes to come away with a 45-43 victory over the Falcons on the road.

Of all the schools in the Mountain West Conference, Air Force (3-0) is the only one against which Utah has a losing record. The Utes are 10-14 all-time against the Falcons.

The Utes - who opened the season with a road upset of Michigan - have registered two consecutive blowouts. They avenged a 2007 loss to UNLV with a 42-21 triumph two weeks ago, then followed that up with a 58-10 rout of Utah State last Saturday.

Air Force is coming off last Saturday's 31-28 victory over Houston in a game played in Dallas.