Coming up this weekend, the Utes will play their fifth opponent of the season in Cal, who has gone undefeated so far in 2015. Utah looks forward to their challenging competition and especially to the threat that Cal’s quarterback, Jared Goff, will bring.
“We’ve got great coverage in the secondary, but we need to do our part as the front seven to get there, to make him get rid of it quicker and throw off his passes,” said Utah defensive end Hunter Dimick.
If there is any fear that has resonated in some of Utah’s players, it would be to face Cal’s offense, which averages 43.4 points per game. It will take a collective effort on both ends of Utah’s defense and offense to put a stop to Goff.
“Goff’s proven time and time again, even in a bad situation, that he can get rid of it and put it right where it needs to be, to his receivers — and he’s got a lot of good ones,” Dimick said. “We’re going to have to work hard to stop that.”
Blocking out distractions
The Utes have had meetings this week in order to stay focused and on-track with all of the ESPN GameDay hype in town. Head coach Kyle Whittingham has said over and over what needs to happen in order for his team to execute on Saturday, and how to use the hype and media attention to their advantage.
“We block everything out and focus everything in. We had a week off, and Cal didn’t, so they are still playing every week,” said Utah running back Devontae Booker. “Coach Whitt just keeps reiterating that just because we had that week off, it doesn’t mean anything, we need to get back to work, and we just need to keep grinding every day, and get ready for this good opponent that we’re about to play.”
Booker will be a focal point of Utah’s offense, so he is sticking to the plan. His coaches have taught him what he needs to do — to play his role and lead by example.
Any other game
Despite the hype heading into Saturday, Whittingham simply wants to play better and use this week of practice to improve. He doesn’t feel there is any difference between this game or the next or the one after that.
By emphasizing that this contest is just as important as any game they will play in the future, Whittingham is able to maintain a business-like mindset among his team and staff. This enables the Utes to do what is expected of them, and they can filter through the pressure that is put on them for this upcoming game.
“Every game is the same. No game is bigger than the other — they are all the same,” Whittingham said. “We treat them all the same, we go through the same preparation process, and there is no deviation.”
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