Utah is headed to the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl for the second straight year, only this time the Utes will be facing a familiar opponent in BYU.
This year, the Utes finished with a 9-3 record and were co-champions of the Pac-12 South, while last year they finished 8-4 in the regular season. Then they went on to beat Colorado State in the Vegas Bowl 45-10.
Although the players are happy to be playing another game with their teammates, some of them are let down by this year’s decision because they felt they deserved more.
Gionni Paul has never played against BYU during his stint at Utah so he thinks it will be exciting to compete in this rivalry game. However, he wanted the team to have been given higher priority for some of the other options. Even when he heard the news, he was sort of in disbelief at the decision.
“Took me by a shock,” Paul said. “I didn’t think we were going to be back in the Vegas Bowl, but we’re happy. Next opponent up. We can’t control what the bowl committee does. I think deep down inside we were wishing for another team, we didn’t think we were going to play BYU.”
If Paul had been given the choice, he would have chosen a different game for a change of scenery, but thinks this is a great way for the seniors to go out, with one last game against the Cougars.
“Once we got the news, especially the seniors, playing BYU in our last game, what could be better,” Paul said.
Andy Phillips was also a bit discouraged by the news, but he’ll ready himself for the game like he would any other game against any other opponent. Phillips was not able to talk to a lot of his teammates when the news first broke, but is excited for the rivalry aspect.
With many of the tickets already being sold to BYU fans, because they found out about a week earlier, Phillips does not believe it is going to be any problem playing in an “away” type of environment. He has only faced BYU once, in Provo, so he hopes to have a quieter crowd this time around. He had a great time in Vegas last year and is looking forward to another round.
“I’m the kind of the guy who would like to see a little bit more and see what else is out there,” Phillips said. “To be honest, I have no idea [why we were chosen]. I can speculate maybe there’s a flashier team out there than us, but bottom line is we play hard nose, good defense, good special teams, solid offense. If that’s not flashy enough for some bowl selection committees then so be it. We’re just excited to be playing in a bowl game.”
Since Phillips feels as though the team was left out of something bigger, he is positive the players will be playing not only for the win, but for more respect in the country.
“We always have a chip on our shoulder because we feel like we’re not as nationally recognized as maybe we need to be or maybe we think we are,” Phillips said.
Travis Wilson is the most optimistic of the bunch and is anxious to get one more win to close out his Utah career. Wilson is not even focused on the rivalry aspect and considers BYU just another team, another opponent the Utes will need to beat to get that 10-win season.
Considering the history Utah has in bowl games, Wilson knows the team will do its best job preparing for the final showdown.
“I’m definitely excited,” Wilson said. “We’re all happy we’re going to another bowl game for the second year in a row. We’re worried about that one game and playing well. For me, I just want to end my season on a high note and just play the best game I can. Regardless of where it’s at, we’re happy we get to play another game. It’s the way the dice roll.”
@kbrenneisen