Not much makes the Utes flinch. When hit with adversity, they combat it with all the grueling hours they put into practice. They focus on unity, the hustle, not so much on the hype, but a lot on the disappointments. Utah football players continue to be dialed in, day in and day out.
Tying to get inside the head of a Utah football player, you might ask yourself how the team prepares for games. What sets each game apart from the last? But each week, since the beginning of their now 3-0 season, the Utes stand strong in their belief that each game is just another game. Kenneth Scott, senior, is on-board and is downplaying this weekend’s game.
“Excited for what?” Scott said. “It’s just another game.”
The phrase, “It’s just another game,” is not used to mean the players don’t care, but rather to emphasize that they prepare for each game with the same amount of intensity. The Utes will handle their business against the Ducks just as they would any other opponent.
As the Utes hit the road on Saturday in Eugene, they will have spent the past week preparing for their first conference play of the 2015 season. Some of the players, such as Scott and running back Devontae Booker, don’t place this game on any sort of pedestal, but both certainly have a desire to win.
“Nothing is really different, other than we changed up a couple plays,” Booker said. “It’s the same preparation and same talk for us every day.”
The constant message head coach Kyle Whittingham has been relaying to his team this week is to finish each game, especially in the fourth quarter, something they did not do against Fresno State. This message is resonating with Booker.
“That’s been Coach Whitt’s message this week,” Booker said. “We’ve just gotta finish, go out there and do our best, you know, and give it a shot.”
All in all, the Utes’ momentum against every opponent during the non-conference schedule has successfully kept them ahead of the pack. As Utah faces a Pac-12 opponent each week, the team will need to continue to perfect the skill of closing a game to solidify each victory.
@laurenrose324