A week ago, the Utes were fighting to keep their Pac-12 Championship and College Football Playoff dreams alive. After Saturday’s 17-9 loss to the Bruins, however, the team now finds itself on the outside looking in on any championship conversations.
Utah went into the game questioning how the team would respond to the loss of running back Devontae Booker, but the ground game looked solid. A hard-running Travis Wilson carried the ball 18 times for 89 yards, while junior Joe Williams picked up right where Booker left off, racking up 121 yards on 26 carries in his first career start for the Utes. Head coach Kyle Whittingham thinks the team did not miss a beat in this aspect.
“I thought we ran the ball well. We came up with nearly 200 yards,” Whittingham said. “Joe Williams in his debut showed some good things — it was positive to see him contribute. We didn’t have to change a whole lot, maybe just a little more QB run game.”
Even though Utah’s run game was effective for most of the game, the team suffered from lackluster passing, with Wilson completing 13-of-26 passes for a total of 110 yards. More frustrating for the Utes were two unsuccessful drives in the red-zone, including a failed series with a first-and-goal on the UCLA two yard line, which forced Utah to settle for field goals.
For seniors like Kenneth Scott, the Utes hope to end the season on a high note. Saturday’s game against Colorado will be their final time taking the field at Rice-Eccles and the last chance to add another milestone to this team’s run.
“We’ve just got to make something special out of this season, even with the negatives,” Scott said. “Just like we did last year, we had a few slip-ups, but it was still a great season because we did our ways and made it great. We still have a lot to accomplish. I’ve never won 10 games in my life, in my whole career, so that’s going to be a special moment.”
The team will honor Scott and 18 other Utah seniors prior to kick off for “Senior Day,” and Whittingham believes that in light of recent losses, the recognition of departing players will give the team greater motivation to win on Saturday.
“We’ll say goodbye to a great group of seniors who really were the primary group that entered this league with us,” Whittingham said. “They’ve been through this Pac-12 journey, and have helped us progress throughout the last five years. We’re going to miss them.”
A 10-win season and share of the division title would not do more than mark the best season the Utes have had since leaving the Mountain West. In the eyes of fans, coaches and players, it would also be a fitting conclusion for a Utah team that will be parting ways with many of the members of its inaugural Pac-12 recruiting class.
“[Senior Day] is a way to honor our seniors and say thanks for a lot of hard work,” Whittingham said. “The devotion, the effort and everything that they’ve poured into this program is appreciated. It’s a way to send them off the right way — hopefully with a victory.”
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