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By DOUG ALDEN AP Sports Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Kyle Whittingham and Mike Sanford haven't felt much like reminiscing this week about their days as Utah's top two assistant coaches.
It was only two years ago, but both coaches are a long way from the glory of Utah's 12-0 Fiesta Bowl team.
Whittingham's Utes (4-4, 2-2 Mountain West) are trying to end a two-game losing streak while Sanford and the Rebels (1-6, 0-3) haven't won since the season opener.
"They're having some struggles of their own," Whittingham said. "But we can't overlook anybody at all. We have to give our entire focus to this game Saturday."
Whittingham was coach Urban Meyer's defensive coordinator and Sanford ran the offense during Utah's undefeated run of 2004. Whittingham was promoted when Meyer left for Florida and Sanford was hired by UNLV.
It hasn't gone particularly well, especially this season.
The Utes have lost three of the last four games and want to end their slump before it gets any worse. Utah is off next week and doesn't need any extra time to mull over how quickly the season has turned.
Since a controlling 20-7 win over TCU on Sept. 5, the Utes have had two losses that have been hard for the players, coaches and fans to accept. Wyoming took a 31-0 lead two weeks ago and Utah's late attempt at rallying was futile in a 31-15 win for the Cowboys.
Last week, the Utes led 24-3 before allowing New Mexico to come back and win 34-31. The Utes don't need to be reminded what happened in Albuquerque and are trying not to dwell on the back-to-back losses.
So now as rival Brigham Young sits alone at the top of the Mountain West as the only unbeaten team in the league, the Utes are trying to salvage something from the season.
"We're a united team, whether it tells or not on film," defensive back Steve Tate said. "You're playing for pride and you're playing for a chance to go to a bowl game.
Sanford will be coaching his first game in Salt Lake City since taking the UNLV job, but not his first game in the state. That was last week -- a 52-7 loss at BYU.
He didn't have much to say about coming back to Rice-Eccles Stadium, where the Utes lost just once while he was running the offense for two seasons.
"I'm more concerned with trying to right the ship that I'm traveling on right now," Sanford said.
That won't be easy. The Rebels, who haven't won since beating Div. I-AA Idaho State on Sept. 2, will be without backup quarterback Shane Steichen the rest of the season. Steichen broke his ankle in the third quarter last week, leaving starter Rocky Hinds on his own.
Steichen, a senior, had played in all but one game this season. If Hinds gets hurt, Sanford said the Rebels will be left with Jarrod Jackson, who hasn't played this season.
With two-thirds of the season done already, both teams are feeling a little desperate for a turnaround.
"They're looking for any way they can to get that second win. We're looking for any way to get that fifth win," Utah quarterback Brett Ratliff said.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-10-27-06 1055MDT
