FACTS & STATS: Site: Sam Boyd Stadium (36,800) -- Las Vegas, Nevada. Television: None. Home Record: USU 0-0, UNLV 0-0. Away Record: USU 0-0, UNLV 0-0. Neutral Record: USU 0-0, UNLV 0-0. Conference Record: USU 0-0, UNLV 0-0. Series Record: Utah State leads, 12-6.

GAME NOTES: For the second straight year the UNLV Rebels open their football slate with a date against the Utah State Aggies, this time at home in Sin City. The last three seasons for the Rebels, under the direction of head coach Mike Sanford, have been absolutely dismal. One of many coaches on the proverbial 'hot seat' as the new season kicks off, Sanford has been unable to get his squad beyond two wins in any one of those first three campaigns. Last year the Rebels failed to beat anyone from outside the state of Utah, taking care of the Aggies in the opener and then stunning fellow Mountain West Conference member Utah at home in the third game, 27-0. Unfortunately, the rest of the road was a bumpy one for UNLV, resulting in a pitiful 2-10 mark and a 1-7 record in league action. The poor showing against the rest of the conference, as well as an eight-game losing streak to close out the campaign (tied for fifth-longest in the country) was reason enough for the media to pick UNLV last in the preseason poll for 2008. As for the Aggies, they really aren't that much better than UNLV these days. Head coach Brent Guy, now entering his fourth season, has yet to win a season opener with USU. Last year the squad had one of the longest losing streaks in the country at one point, following 10 consecutive setbacks to begin the campaign, but on a positive note, the Aggies found some life after being crushed by 19th-ranked Boise State in WAC play, 52-0, by taking out both New Mexico State and Idaho in back-to-back games. Despite finishing just 2-6 in conference, Utah State is actually searching for its first three-game win streak since the 2001 season. Utah State has taken five straight meetings at Sam Boyd Stadium in the last two decades, which means the Rebels have not won on their own turf since 1987. Last season the Rebels picked up a 23-16 win over USU in Logan, marking the first road victory for UNLV in more than two years. In terms of the overall series between these two squads, Utah State maintains a 12-6 mark against the Rebels and is 6-3 in Vegas since 1973.

Heading into the preseason the depth chart listed Sean Setzer or Jase McCormick as the starter at quarterback, but really the decision has now been made for coach Guy after McCormick decided to leave the program for personal reasons the first week of August. McCormick had seen some time under center for the Aggies (25-of-40 for 258 yards and two TDs), which is more than can be said for Setzer who attempted just a single pass for a grand total of two yards in 2007. The squad doesn't have much in the way of experienced tailbacks either, listing Curtis Marsh as the starter and Robert Turbin coming in relief. The fullback spot has Jacob Actkinson, Brian Mason and Chris Forbes listed, but of the six guys who will carry the ball the most for the Aggies, not a single one of them is an upper classman. A senior this year, tight end Rob Myers is the top returning receiver for the unit after reeling in 21 catches for 320 yards and three touchdowns, despite playing in only nine games.

Unlike the offensive unit, the defense is loaded with upperclassmen, with senior linebacker Jake Hutton drawing most of the attention. Hutton started all 12 games for the Aggies in 2007 and led the squad with his 102 tackles, ranking him eight in the conference. His 58 solo stops were also tied for fifth in the WAC and were the most by a USU player since 2002. Senior Devon Hall was also a starter at linebacker a year ago, but it has been decided that he'll move back to the safety position and share some time with James Brindley. Fifth on the team in total tackles with 69, Hall's lone interception of the season was turned into a 38-yard touchdown play against Wyoming so the coaching staff is looking for similar results as he spends more time in coverage. Brindley (84 tackles) keeps himself in the mix after leading the team with two recovered fumbles and tying for the lead with a trio of picks. With sacks such a rare commodity for the Aggies, senior defensive end Ben Calderwood needs to pick up the pace and make up for the departed Carl Singleton.

Coach Sanford has designated Omar Clayton to be in the starting lineup as the quarterback for the Rebels for the opener. A former walk-on with the program, Clayton was a backup early last season before jumping into the starting spot in the eighth game. Not only has former starting signal-caller Travis Dixon lost out on the starting QB spot, he's not even second on the depth chart now, instead being moved over to the defense to compete for time at the safety position. The team's leading rusher from a year ago with his 928 yards, senior running back Frank Summers settles in behind Clayton in the backfield. Not only can Summers carry the load of being the primary ball carrier, he's already shown that he can be an asset as a receiver after collecting 23 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns. Senior wideout Casey Flair, who needs just 34 receptions this season to become the school's all-time leader in that department, has the second-longest reception streak in the nation at 35 games. Taking some of the pressure off Flair on the edge is junior pass receiver Ryan Wolfe, the 2006 MWC Freshman of the Year who led the team in receiving as a sophomore with 66 catches for 784 yards and a pair of scores.

Last year the defense ranked third in the Mountain West in terms of pass defense, permitting just 203.3 ypg (22nd nationally), but that had more to do with the secondary than it did with the pressure that the line up front was getting on offenses. In fact, not only was UNLV ranked last in the MWC in tackles for loss with just 4.4 per game, the team was third from the bottom among all 119 Football Bowl Subdivision members. Defensive line coach Andre Patterson has just two returning starters in his group from a year ago, tackles Malo Taumua and Jacob Hales, which means he'll have to plug in other hulks to gain an advantage in the trenches and cut down on running lanes for the competition. The key for Patterson will be finding suitable replacements at the end positions, especially after Jeremy Geathers left a year early to seek fame and fortune in the NFL. Although just a sophomore, it appears that Isaako Aaitui will get action on the end. Clearly, the biggest issue for the defense is finding someone to step in for Beau Bell at linebacker. Easier said than done, it appears that even redshirt freshman Bryce Saldi could see significant time in the middle of the field. Both Quinton Pointer and Daryl Forte both have experience in the secondary after starting last year.

This is one of those games that could turn ugly if the performance resembles anything the respective teams put on the field a year ago. Although it has been about nine months since that season-ending victory, still expect the Aggies to feed off that high-water mark and get the job done this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Utah State 23, UNLV 17

Saturday, August 30th, 10:00 p.m. (et).