It hasn’t been the easiest of roads since Utah senior Travis Wilson set foot on campus in 2012 as a freshman quarterback from San Clemente, California.
He’s gone from highly-touted freshman who sparingly saw minutes to definitive starter and team captain to questionable leader and sometimes-backup in his three years as a Ute. With backup Kendal Thompson breathing down his neck, some have counted Wilson out when fall camp rolls around, despite him being firmly atop the depth chart.
Wilson has heard it all — all of the chatter, the talk, the murmurs — but he chooses to ignore it.
“It’s not really something I pay attention too,” Wilson said. “Coming from my position on the team, I’m either the most loved or the most hated … Your actions speak louder than your words.”
Some would wonder, perhaps, just why Wilson continues to play football, especially here in Utah. He’s seen Thompson take his spot on a number of occasions throughout the 2014 campaign, he was arrested for underage drinking in the summer of 2014, which he received a decent amount of scrutiny for, and he suffered an injury that nearly derailed his football career entirely.
Any one of these things would send second thoughts through the minds of just about any student-athlete in the country, but for Wilson, his motivation comes from an unearthly level.
It was the morning after Utah had just put a 70-7 beat-down on Weber State, in which Wilson threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns, when JoMarie Wilson received a call from Travis that put a pause on everything else in her world. Though she knew it was her son, JoMarie could not understand Travis, for all she could hear was a hysterical young man attempting to fight back a flood of tears on the other line. Not knowing what was going on, JoMarie asked Travis what the matter was, and he all he could say was,“I lost my best friend.”
On Sept. 8, 2013, Nick Pasquale, former UCLA wide receiver and childhood best friend of Travis, was killed after being struck by a vehicle early that morning. Pasquale, who was given the nickname “Pacman” among the Bruins, hailed from the same hometown as Travis, and the two were teammates throughout their playing careers.
One can only imagine what it would be like to lose a teammate, but that’s not all that Travis lost that September morning — he lost a brother. In addition to starting in the Pop Warner league together as kids, both Travis’ father and Pasquale’s father coached them throughout their childhood, and the families took vacations together over the summer.
The two were truly inseparable.
“They were pretty much attached at the hip, and they both loved football,” JoMarie said. “Both of them loved football more than anything.”
While football isn’t everything this relationship is, it certainly was the foundation. When the boys were in fourth grade, Pasquale was diagnosed with a hip disorder that forced him to wear a full-body cast that extended from his chest all the way down to his feet. Clearly, Pasquale was not going to participate in any live action with his limitations, but that didn’t stop him from having a good time with Travis.
Despite the cast, both Pasquale and Travis were seen on the sideline of games back in fourth grade dressed in game attire — helmet, pads, cleats, etc. Not only that, but the two could be seen tackling each other, which would send a chill up the spine of any parent whose kid is in a full-body cast. Plain and simple, the two just couldn’t stay away from football, no matter what was thrown their way.
“People would look at them and be like, Ooh my gosh, he’s gonna hurt that little boy,’ ” JoMarie said. “We were like, ‘Nope’ … Travis would never hurt Nick … The love for the game of football was different than any of those other boys that they played with. They seriously loved the game incredibly.”
Travis’ love for the game showed ten-fold when, less than a week after hearing of Pasquale’s death, the signal-caller was back at it, preparing for Utah’s next opponent in Oregon State. He loves Pasquale, even now that he has passed, and the best way for Travis to show that is on the field.
In that game against the Beavers, a game that was dedicated to his best friend, Travis did everything in his power to will the Utes to a victory. Trailing by a touchdown in the final quarter with just 21 seconds on the clock, Travis tucked the ball and ran it in for a 9-yard score to send the game into overtime.
Utah ended up losing that game 51-48, but Travis did everything he could in that second half to get a victory. By the end of the game, Travis’ stat line showed that he was 19-for-33 for 279 yards and two touchdowns through the air, along with a staggering 142 yards with three more touchdowns on the ground.
Following the game, a number of players surrounded Travis to comfort him, knowing he had just been through a traumatic experience. The Utes got the loss that night, but Travis’ performance for Pasquale was ultimately a victory.
“I still have that (Oregon State game) recorded on my TV because it was pretty phenomenal what Travis did during that game,” JoMarie said. “He did it for Nick, and to watch all the players surround him was incredible.”
The day after that game, Travis attended the funeral for his best friend back in his hometown, but upon his arrival back in Salt Lake City, he had an entire family there to help get their quarterback through this rough time in his life.
“The Utah team is pretty incredible on how they surround each other and how they are there for each other; they support each other all the time,” JoMarie said. “It was a good distraction to try and keep his mind off of it, but still supporting him … They didn’t even know Nick at all, but they knew what that friendship meant to Travis.”
Evident by his style of play, it’s clear Travis will do just about anything for a win. Despite suffering an injury that nearly forced him onto the bench, the quarterback can still be seen diving for touchdowns and flipping over players, à la Michigan game in 2014.
He loves the Utes; he loves this school. He loves the MUSS and he loves the fans. This senior season is a way for him to pay back everyone here in Salt Lake City that has believed in Travis, and he’s looking forward to the opportunity to go out with a bang in his final year as a Ute.
“I just want to have the best season that I’ve had throughout my time here,” Travis said. “I definitely want to show [the fans] the respect that they give me, and give them a great season and great games to watch. I want to keep them wanting to come back to the next game.”
But if Travis learned anything through the experience of losing a brother, it’s that he’s not only playing for himself, the Utes or Salt Lake City — he’s playing for his best friend.
“I think during certain parts of the games, like when Travis goes for a touchdown and points up in the sky, that was for Nick,” JoMarie said. “He did things because he wanted to give back to Nick. Winning the game means a great deal to Travis and doing the best for Utah team means a lot to Travis, but I do know that the game is more than that.”
It’s been a rollercoaster of emotion for Travis in his time at the U, and the senior might not still be playing football if it was not for his late childhood pal. Because Pasquale can’t join him out on that field, Travis will shoulder the load and work that much harder in his memory.
“He’s now my big motivation to keep on playing football and always keep on getting better,” Travis said. “I know he would love to be out on the field as well. He’s always in my thoughts when I’m playing. I always try to live up to what he did and try to play for him, as well.”
@GriffDoug