After writing sports for a while, you hear the same quotes one after another, like waves crashing on the press conference shore. You win as a team, you lose as a team. It’s been a tale of two halves. You take what the defense gives you. Crash after crash, cliché after cliché.
Coach Kyle Whittingham’s favorite is a classic8212;we just take it one game at a time. Never look ahead8212;the only team that matters is the one in front of us.
Utah didn’t look that way against Weber State. It did what it needed to win the game against an FBS school, but that was about all. It’s hard not to look ahead when a giant peaks over the horizon.
Or, more precisely, a giant killer. Oregon State is only 2-2 this season, but one of those wins was against USC, the best team of the new century. By all accounts, it is the most important game of the Utes’ season. That’s not saying a lot, considering they’ve yet to face a legitimate offense.
Oregon State and Utah have history. The Beavers lead 9-4-1 all time, with the last win still fresh in the mind of at least one Ute running back. The first game of the 2007 season was a 24-7 win for the Beavers. More importantly, Matt Asiata suffered a broken leg that knocked him out for the entire season and Brian Johnson needed to recover from a sore shoulder. Once healthy, he led the team to a 9-4 record and bowl victory.
Oregon State not only aimed its slingshot at USC8212;it changed the dynamic of Utah’s entire 2008 season.
Whittingham can say all the right things. He can be the same boring wave, but this is one game that everyone was looking forward to8212;USC upset or not.
With Johnson and Asiata in the lineup, the Utes have the 28th best offense in the entire country. Oregon State’s defense is subpar. It allows 27 points per game. Take out its easy win against Hawaii, and the average rises to 35.
Johnson gets up for big games. None are bigger8212;and revenge is a dessert best served before the BCS polls come out. With ESPN analysts predicting a huge BCS buster8212;in BYU8212;any loss puts Utah off the pace. Every game is a must-win.
“This game could either make us or break us with ranks and just getting a win overall more than anything,” said running back Darrell Mack. “I guess ranking-wise, it could be a great help and that would be the icing on the cake.”
The Beavers have already made their season. Call it a cliché, but the Utes will have to make their season one game at a time, starting tonight.
Nick Pappas