Utah is looking to end its two-game skid this Saturday when it plays Colorado at home for its final regular season game.
After losing to both Arizona and UCLA the Utes are no longer in contention for the Pac-12 crown. The team hopes it can regain some confidence before its bowl game, especially since this will be the seniors’ final time dressing for Utah in front of their home crowd.
Jared Norris has been in the Utah football system for five years now and thinks it is a bittersweet ending to his career.
“It’s tough because we’ve all put in so much into this program,” Norris said. “You just cherish every day that you got left with your friends and your teammates, and you make the most out of it.”
Norris is still upset about the past two results and is not completely over it. However, he will continue to rely on the teammates that have been by his side his entire time at the U.
“We’re all a pretty tight-knit group, and I think there’s something about this team that is a lot different than past years,” Norris said. “Everybody, no matter ethnicity or whatnot, hangs out together, and it’s a real brotherhood.”
Against Colorado, head coach Kyle Whittingham knows these guys are going to have to stick together more than ever before.
Whittingham really wants this win for his team, both for the seniors and so the Utes have something to lean on after the two losses. Although the Buffs have a 4-8 record (1-7 in the Pac-12) and have played in plenty of close games, they just have not found a way to win.
“Good football team — they’re competitive every week,” Whittingham said. “Kind of like last year where they play well and they play hard. Haven’t gotten as many W’s as I’m sure they would like, but they’re a good team, so we got our hands full. There’s very few games that they just aren’t in.”
This group of seniors were mainly the ones who had to deal with the full transition of playing in a new conference, and Whittingham couldn’t have asked for a better group of players to lead the way.
“[We’ll] say goodbye to a great group of seniors who really were the primary group that entered this league with us and been through this Pac-12 journey,” Whittingham said. “We want to thank them for what they’ve done for us and their efforts.”
While the team is somewhat discouraged, Norris is trying to focus on the bright side. He knows when he looks back on his time as a Ute, he won’t even think about wins or losses. He’ll think about his team and the friendships he’s made.
Norris wants to make one last good showing in Rice-Eccles and hopes his teammates are also up for the challenge.
“I think the biggest thing right now is be grateful we got each other and we get to play a couple more games with each other,” Norris said. “I know this team is a close group of guys, and it’s been that way since day one. You don’t remember the games much, it’s the players you’re around that you’ll remember.”
Game time is at 12:30 p.m.
@kbrenneisen