SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is feeling good about themselves two weeks into the season, and for good reason.

Beating Chuckie Keeton and Utah State is a good win. And based on the way the Aggies looked in Colorado Springs, that win may look better and better as the season progresses. And winning a game 70-7 is good for the self-esteem no matter who the opponent is.

The Utes now have much needed confidence as they face a different challenge this week against Oregon State Saturday at 8 p.m. The team hopes to do something they have yet to do in their first two years in the Pac-12: Win their conference opener.

"It will be great to get started on the right foot," said head coach Kyle Whittingham. "Right now we have a little momentum on our side with the first two victories."

The Utes started 0-4 in their first two years of Pac-12 play, which includes last year's embarrassing 37-7 loss at Arizona State to open the conference season. It was a jarring loss that crushed their confidence and it lingered throughout the conference season.

"It hurts," said junior safety Eric Rowe. "You work so hard and then you go 0-4, then we got to play catch-up. We don't want to put ourselves in a hole like that."

Utah has a great chance to avoid a similar hole this season. This will be the first time the Utes have opened the conference slate at home. Their first two seasons they opened on the road against USC and Arizona State.

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Injuries plague Oregon State coming into Utah

Utah opens up Pac-12 play Saturday, hosting the battered Oregon State Beavers. The Beavers come in with a depleted depth chart in an already up-and-down season. Oregon State will be without several starters due to injury.

They are facing a team that got off to a shaky start, losing their home opener to FCS Eastern Washington. The Beavers also have injury issues that may work to the Utes' advantage.

They lost two starting offensive linemen in a 33-14 win last week over Hawaii. Their offensive line was already thin and now they must face one of the top defensive lines in the Pac-12.

Oregon State is 111th in the country in rushing, with just 162 yards in two games. The odds of that improving against Tenny Palepoi and the rest of Utah's interior defensive linemen are slim.

Oregon State's advantage? The Beavers have the fourth best passing offense in the country, and the Utes pass defense has looked vulnerable.

Quarterback Sean Mannion has NFL potential. He's fourth in the country in passing yards, fourth in completion percentage and sixth in total offense. He's thrown seven touchdowns and just one interception.

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Wide receiver Brandin Cooks is fifth in the country in receiving and has caught four touchdown passes. Mannion has completed passes to 10 different receivers in two games.

Oregon State is going to test the Utah pass defense, which ranks 65th in the country after two games.

Putting pressure on Mannion will be key. The Utes are currently tied for third in the nation in sacks, with nine in two games. Trevor Reilly and Nate Orchard could have a big day against a depleted Oregon State offensive line. They may have to if they hope to contain Mannion and the Oregon State throw game.

If the Utes keep Mannion in check, they should come away with their first win in a Pac-12 opener. That would be a huge step forward for the Utes as they try to take the next step when it comes to competing in the conference.

"We want to get off on the right foot and get our Pac-12 win," Rowe said. "We definitely want to go to a bowl game this year. There's no doubt about that."

A win would also make the Utes 3-0 entering the rivalry game with BYU on Sept. 21, which will only add to the hype. But for the Utes, that hype can wait until Sunday.

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