Heading into homecoming week after coming off a bye, the University of Utah football team had extra time to regroup and prepare for its upcoming opponent, Stanford. When the Utes run out of the tunnel for game day on Saturday, Oct. 7, not only will they have a fresh pair of legs on them, but they’ll also have a piece of history on them.
The Utes will sport the Utah stripe on the throwback jerseys they will wear for this year’s homecoming game. The stripe coincides with the homecoming theme that’s based off their uniforms, #UUThrowback — Show Your Stripes.
“We met with the football marketing staff and talked about how we might partner on our efforts,” said homecoming committee board member Mary Thiriot. “We talked about the history of the Utah stripe and everyone liked the way it looked.”
Throwing it back for homecoming #UteArmour #UUThrowback #STANvsUTAH pic.twitter.com/5VfQqlhzVC
— UtesEquipment (@UtesEquipment) October 4, 2017
For running back Zack Moss, this will be his first time wearing a homecoming throwback jersey, and he is looking forward to hitting the gridiron with a new look. Although he doesn’t think throwing it back to the past secures the Utes a present victory, he does believe it might give them a slight edge.
“I think it helps,” Moss said. “I wouldn’t say it’s a big factor, but I think it helps because you got guys feeling a little bit more juiced up.”
Moss added that “if you look good, you play good.” Cornerback Casey Hughes made his own rendition of that saying by throwing his two cents in at the end, “if you play good, you get paid good.” Nickelback Boobie Hobbs echoed his teammate’s thoughts.
“That’s my motto. Ever since I got here, that’s all I’ve been saying,” Hobbs said. “Look good, feel good, you’re going to play good. That’s why I like this secondary so much because we all want to look good, we want to feel good and we definitely want to play good, first and foremost. That’s a big part of what we do.”
Utah comes into the contest having won its past two homecomings that were against Arizona and Cal. For Hobbs, he said there’s really not a difference between playing in a homecoming game and another regular season game, except for the feeling that’s in the air. He noted that representing his university with former players in attendance brings a feeling that only a homecoming matchup is capable of doing.
The game will be about more than just repping a throwback jersey in front of its home crowd, and Hughes knows Utah needs to stay focused and be prepared for what it will face when Stanford comes to town. Hughes said the key for the defense is to prepare hard in practice leading up to kickoff, then play hard during the game, move fast and communicate.
When the Utes suit up and show off their school pride on a day where the school’s history will be showcased, they will take the field and continue to build on the foundation that was laid for them. And they’ll start to pave the way for those to come.
@Britt_Colindres