How much better? Check back Saturday to see, and then again Nov. 10, too.

After facing several passing teams, the Utes go up against two of the conference's best rushing teams, with Colorado State on Saturday and Wyoming on Nov. 10.

The two schools rank second and third in the conference, averaging 160.9 and 159.1 rushing yards, respectively.

Air Force leads the conference by averaging 259.9 yards. The Falcons rushed for 334 yards in their 20-12 win over the Utes.

CSU has a two-pronged rushing attack with Kyle Bell and Gartrell Johnson. The duo, both of whom are about 6 feet tall and 230 pounds, resemble the powerful, straight-forward running attack of UNLV's Summers (5-foot-10, 240 pounds) who gave the Utes so much trouble.

Entering the season, Bell, who missed the 2006 season while recovering from ACL surgery, was the center of CSU's preseason offensive hype.

He has rushed 137 times for 511 yards and three touchdowns this year, but was replaced as the starter by Johnson against Air Force on Oct. 13.

Johnson rushed 25 times for 143 yards against the Falcons in a 45-21 loss and 25 times for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the Rams' 48-23 win over UNLV Saturday. He is averaging 6.1 yards a carry as a starter.

"Those running backs are two of the best in the league," safety Steve Tate said. "Basically, it comes down to fundamentals and tackling well. If you look at the games we've won, that is exactly what we've done."

According to Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, the Utes missed just four tackles in the 27-20 win over TCU.

Sure, UNLV's five turnovers had a lot to do with CSU's win Saturday, but so did the recent production out of the running game, according to CSU coach Sonny Lubick.

"We're rushing the ball fairly well the last two weeks," he said. "If you can run the football consistently and not go like we have gone where we go one whole quarter and make just one first down, that makes it difficult."

Back home

Utah has 32 players on its roster from California and many are getting updates of the fires that are sweeping through the southern part of that state. Defender Gabe Long (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and running back Darrell Mack (Spring Valley, Calif.) said the fires are close to their friends and relatives. Mack's have taken an RV to a mall parking lot as a precaution.

"It's pretty bad," he said. "There isn't a lot of water near us. It's a city, but a lot of shrubs, and behind the hill is all open land."

The BYU-San Diego State game scheduled for Saturday has been postponed. The announcement affects the Utes, who were chartering the same plane as the Cougars on Friday. The Utes weren't going to leave for CSU until 6 p.m. Friday, but with the Cougars staying home, they will leave at 4 p.m. instead.

New return man

Freshman Jereme Brooks, who has worked his way into the receiving lineup, replaced Elijah Wesson on the kickoff return team and returned the game's first kickoff 38 yards to set up Utah's opening scoring drive against TCU.

That was his only return of the game, but expect to see more of him in that role.

He has earned the job against the Rams, Whitttingham said.

"He did a nice job and he has a natural feel," Whittingham said. "He has a shiftiness to him and it's a way to get him a couple more touches."

lwodraska@sltrib.com