This weekend’s football game at Rice Eccles-Stadium will feature a top 25 matchup between No. 4 Washington and No. 17 Utah, and because of it, ESPN’s College GameDay will be filming from Salt Lake City.
Utah is entering the game with a 7-1 record, and the Utes are coming off of a 52-45 win over UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Washington has an unblemished record of 7-0, and the Huskies recently took down Oregon State 41-17 in Seattle.
Joe Williams is expected to take on a good amount of the work load this upcoming weekend after setting a new school record with 332 rushing yards against the Bruins, and head coach Kyle Whittingham is ecstatic the running back was able to help the team in a time of need. The Utes had been pretty decimated at the running back position, so having Williams performing the way he is now helps relieve some of the pressure junior quarterback Troy Williams was carrying.
Since Troy Williams is from the Los Angeles area, he was pretty familiar with a lot of the guys on UCLA’s roster, and was in awe of what Joe Williams was able to accomplish against those players.
“It was fun watching Joe get out there and get after it [and] watching the o-line create those holes,” Williams said. “I knew he was fast, but being there watching him run away from dudes that you played against and that you know are fast — he’s just making it look easy running past them.”
But while Joe Williams is picking up a lot of yards, one person who the Utes are hoping to get back into the starting rotation is senior wide receiver Tim Patrick.
Patrick caught a touchdown against UCLA this past weekend, however, Patrick and Whittingham would argue he was only 85 percent ready for that game, and it’s why he spent the majority of the game on the sideline. This weekend, though, the team expects him to be 100 percent, and while other receivers have done a decent job stepping up, Patrick will always be that first choice.
“We’re hoping this week that [Patrick] really turns the corner and is back to his old self again — we could really use him,” Whittingham said. “Siaosi Wilson has really stepped up, [but] Timmy is our go-to guy when he’s healthy, and he’s right.”
Since Saturday’s game is being highlighted on GameDay, the team is hoping the fans will rally behind the Utes more so than they typically do on a regular basis.
Utah hosted GameDay last season when the Utes faced the Cal Bears (a game the Utes won 30-24) so the Utes more or less know what to expect. And Whittingham commends ESPN’s efforts on not being disruptive to the team’s daily and weekly routine.
With a top five team coming into Salt Lake City, the team is focused on winning the game, just like it would any other week in the season against any other opponent. However, Whittingham does give credit where credit is due.
“We’re getting ready for another tough game, an extremely tough game,” Whittingham said. “Based on what we’ve seen on tape they’re deserving of that ranking. It’s going to be a very challenging opponent, but we have them at home at Rice-Eccles. We need our fans to come out and be loud.”
Game time is set for 1:30 p.m.
@kbrenneisen