This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Posted: 3:10 PM- Guess again, Joe Glenn.

On a perfectly gorgeous mid-November Saturday afternoon at Rice-Eccles Stadium, elements that amounted to a perfect storm for Utah conspired to humiliate and silence the once-dangerous Wyoming Cowboys.

Energized and fully rested after a bye week, enraged and revenge-minded after last year's debacle in Laramie and feeling disrespected by the Wyoming coach's rather bizarre guarantee of a victory, the streaking Utes crushed the hapless Cowboys 50-0

in

front

of

42,477

delirious

Ute fans who chanted "guarantee, guarantee" to remind Glenn of the prediction gone wrong.

Then they played the second half - but only because the rules said they had to.

"Find the crow, and I'll eat it," said Glenn, who was caught by television cameras flipping off the Ute coaching staff after the Utes tried an onside kick with a 43-0 lead midway through the third quarter.

Pressed after the game about the gesture with the middle finger of his right hand, Glenn said he is an emotional coach but couldn't remember doing it.

The win was 7-3 Utah's sixth straight, and virtually assured a bowl bid as a representative from the Poinsettia Bowl looked on.

It was the most points Wyoming (5-5) has given up since a 55-7 loss at BYU last year, meaning the Cowboys have been outscored 105-7 in their last two trips across the border.

Glenn's guarantee that the Cowboys would win in a weekly luncheon on Monday with Wyoming students "was like someone spitting in your face," said Ute lineman Gabe Long, who had three of the team's six sacks. "Wow. Show us some respect."

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham defended the onside kick, saying it came in the third quarter before either team had called off the dogs, but who was he trying to kid?

"Well, the onside kick, usually we don't do things like that, but Coach Glenn made a guarantee, so he must have known something that I didn't," said Whittingham, who went on to talk about how the outcome was still in doubt.

Really.

The Cowboys tried a fake punt that failed miserably deep in their own territory on their first possession, a decision that led to a Utah touchdown on the next (trick) play, a 28-yard run by Jereme Brooks on a "fumblerooski," and the rout was on.

Almost two hours later, the Utes had a 40-0 halftime lead and fans were in the food lines talking about hook-and-ladder passes, a fake punt that lineman Neli A'asa took 41 yards to the the Wyoming 1 (he really scored, replays showed) to set up a Darrell Mack touchdown plunge and other everything-went-right moments for the Utes.

"Everything we threw at them just worked," said receiver Derrek Richards, who caught six passes for 86 yards.

Added quarterback Brian Johnson, who was 17-for-29 for 167 yards and a TD in about three quarters of work: "You guarantee a win against the Utes, you better bring your 'A' game."

The amazing part of the first-half onslaught was that the Utes had to punt on two of their first three possessions and had to settle for a pair of Louie Sakoda field goals on the two possessions after that despite getting set up at the Wyoming 10 one time and reaching the Wyoming 3 the other.

Utah finished with 505 yards; Wyoming had 122.

"We had a bad taste in our mouth after last year's [31-15] loss," said safety Steve Tate, who had an interception and two tackles for losses. "I think this was our best performance this year. We're playing with confidence right now."

And that's a guarantee.