Although the Utes were not originally thrilled by the idea of playing their rival in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl, they are warming up to the idea, none more so than Andy Phillips.
The first time Phillips faced BYU, Utah got a win on the road, and with the majority of tickets assumedly being sold to BYU fans. Phillips feels comfortable heading into that environment again after Utah played so well a couple years ago in Provo. Also, the opposing crowd motivates him. He wants to quiet them down as much as possible.
“If anything, it’s a positive for us because we always play well when we go down there,” Phillips said. “It’s just more motivation to go out there and quiet the crowd.”
Even with recent news of BYU’s head coach Bronco Mendenhall leaving the program, Phillips thinks Utah will be able to take care of business. The Utes are not even paying attention to any of the coaching rumors because they have complete trust in one another to focus all of their efforts into this one game.
“Obviously this is going to be a very emotional game,” Phillips said. “We understand the situation down there, so when it comes to our preparation, we prepare the same for every game, whether it’s BYU or whoever else.”
Bowl game prep
With game preparations already in full swing because of the early date, the team feels as though it will be ready no matter what. Head coach Kyle Whittingham gave his team a couple of days off while they were waiting to find out which bowl game they would be playing in, but the players are sure this only helped revitalize the team.
Phillips thinks Whittingham has found the perfect balance between off time and practices that has given Utah so much success in postseasons past.
“Coach Whitt does a great job of giving us the appropriate amount of time off but then, at the same time, making sure when bowl prep comes we’re conditioning and we’re working harder than our opponents,” Phillips said. “Ultimately I think that’s what it comes down to. We out-prepare anybody we’re playing, and we understand the importance of bowl games.”
Rivalry notes
Since Gionni Paul has not been at the U for very long, he has never played an in-state rivalry game. Although he still has mixed feelings about the game itself, he’ll be prepared once that first whistle blows.
“It’s like Washington State playing Washington, we wanted something different,” Paul said. “I never got to play in a rivalry. I understand it’s big around here, and we’re ready.”
Although choosing the bowl game was out of his control, what is in his control is how the team will come together to play. As a senior and as a captain, he wants to be sure he doesn’t have any regrets.
“We’ll put our heads down and grind,” Paul said. “The only things we can control are winning, the way we practice, the way we prepare to win this game. I’m ready to leave my legacy.”
Phillips understands that several people are not excited to see the rivalry happen again so soon, but he thinks it is a good one to keep playing. He also wants all Ute fans to know that despite the matchup in the bowl game, the team still had a memorable season.
“It’s nice having a rivalry game every year, and I know some people don’t want it, but I think it’s a healthy rivalry,” Phillips said. “A lot of guys like myself were hoping to go somewhere else and have a new experience at a different bowl game and fulfill that recognition we thought we needed for a successful season, but ultimately it is a successful season.”
@kbrenneisen