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The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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Game Preview: Utes travel to Fresno State for first road game of the season

The Utah football team will play its final non-conference game on the road this Saturday at Fresno State, the team’s first road trip of the season. All the players are focused on their main goal of the weekend, which is to leave California with a 3-0 record.

Head coach Kyle Whittingham is just as focused as his players, and although the Bulldogs’ stadium will be new to them, he’s hoping the Utes can walk in with the same confidence they would have if they were playing at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

“We got to be able to handle that [away-game pressure] the right way if we want to be a good football team,” Whittingham said. “We got to play well on the road.”

While the Utes are aiming for that perfect start to the young season, they also want the win for their teammates Marcel Brown-Brooks and Lo Falemaka, who were both shot at an off-campus party last weekend but are recovering. Linebacker Gionni Paul is eager to represent his teammates, who will not be able to compete because of the injuries sustained in the shooting.

“We’re going to go out there and play this game for them,” Paul said. “I got to lead my team to victory.”

Whittingham thinks Paul is doing a great job of stepping up as a leader, but the head coach is looking to tweak the defense as a whole because of a few problematic areas that caused issues against both Michigan and Utah State. He is tired of the pass rush not being close to what it was last year, and while the defense did record one sack against the Aggies, that’s not enough for “Sack Lake City.”

On the flip side, the offensive side of the ball did not have a single turnover against Utah State, but one thing that remained the same from the first game to the second that Whittingham is desperate to get rid of is the team’s efforts on the run block.

“Haven’t gotten Booker on track yet, but it’s going to happen at some time,” Whittingham said. “We made incremental progress in the area we were concerned in week one, but we still have a ways to go.”

Quarterback Travis Wilson injured his shoulder last weekend against USU, and Whittingham has not said whether he or backup Kendal Thompson will start against Fresno State. But whoever will be behind center on Saturday, Whittingham is confident he can be effective for the Utes.

Wilson and Thompson are more alike than people assume, and this will be beneficial Saturday night. Both fit into the offensive scheme the Utes run, and there won’t be any dramatic change in play calling. That said, the coaches will tailor the offense a bit more to whoever is throwing the ball.

“What you want to do, whoever the quarterback is, we got to play to his strengths and set things up to fit his skill set,” Whittingham said.

Aside from Wilson and Thompson, redshirt freshman Chase Hansen will also get to see more action on the field. He participated in one play against Utah State, only to have it taken away because of a penalty. Whittingham admits Hansen should have played more, and fans should expect to see him get another shot against Fresno State.

The Utes played the Bulldogs last season and won 59-27, and they are expecting to see a similar team to last year’s. Last weekend, Fresno State got beat handily at the hands of Ole Miss, losing 73-21. Despite this loss, Utah is anticipating its opponent to come full-strength, just as they expect from all opponents.

“You learned Mississippi’s a really good team,” Whittingham said. “You take something from every game, but that game did get out of hand pretty quickly.”

Thompson is familiar with the types of players within the Fresno State program, and just as he is not reading into its loss last week, he’s not overthinking Utah’s new ranking at No. 21. To him, it does not mean much. He’s thinking about how he can be ready for the game, whether he’ll be the starter or not.

“I feel like they’re a high-quality defense,” Thompson said. “They have good athletes down there in Fresno, good athletes who go under the radar.”

True freshman Britain Covey is excited to play his first collegiate road game, and although he is concentrated on the game, he is also looking forward to bonding more with the team.

“The road trip, going out with your brothers, it’s almost like a giant sleepover,” Covey said.

The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. PT.

[email protected]

@kbrenneisen

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