Utah Hitting Its Stride As Team Comes Together In Shortened Season
Amidst a year of chaos and uncertainty, it was extremely fitting that prior to Utah's biggest game of the season they were given a rude awakening. At 6:30 a.m., the fire alarm started blaring in the team hotel the Utes were staying at, shocking the team to an abrupt awakening.
But in fitting 2020 fashion, that sort of awakening did nothing to deter Utah from its game plan. In fact, that rude awakening served as a jumpstart to what could become a massive victory not only for the season, but for the future as well.
The Utes rallied from down 21-10 to score 28 straight points in the second half and take down No. 21 Colorado 38-21. It was the sort of victory that very well could propel this young Utes team to greater heights in the future, while serving as a great example of how nothing is predetermined in this crazy season of college football.
"Honestly, I think it comes down to we haven't played a full game yet, really this team," Utah wide receiver Covey said. "We've always had either one half or one quarter missing. And the first half, it's not that we were doing things bad, I think Colorado is just a good team. We came out, made some adjustments, had to battle some adversity, which is awesome, and finally played our first 60-minute game, in my opinion."
Dec 12, 2020; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Utah Utes wide receiver Britain Covey (18) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Colorado Buffaloes in the third quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sportsffd
The 2020 season has been full of uncertainty, which ironically was the only thing certain this year. So what's even crazier than Utah's awakening on Saturday morning in Boulder has been just what this team has accomplished.
When the Pac-12 announced it was returning to college football for the 2020 season with a seven-game schedule, not a lot what expected from the Utes. They were not only tasked with replacing nine starters from last season's dominating unit on defense, they needed to replace the program's all-time rusher in Zack Moss and one of the best quarterbacks in program history in Tyler Huntley.
Making matters more difficult was that all of these changes needed to done amidst a worldwide pandemic in which the Utes were struggling to get healthy and onto the field.
They missed their first two games of the season after an outbreak of COVID-19 overtook the program. Then when they finally go onto the field, they played against a USC squad who's the only undefeated team in the conference. That loss was followed by an ever more difficult and heartbreaking loss to Washington, a game in which the Utes led 21-0 at the half before losing 24-21.
Nov 28, 2020; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies defensive back Kyler Gordon (2) forces a fumble by Utah Utes running back Ty Jordan (22) during the fourth quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Nobody would've blamed the Utes if they were to pack it in for the rest of the season, especially when you consider that over half of the combined starting lineups on both sides of the ball were underclassmen. Utah looked like a team going nowhere fast so treating the rest of the season as a learning experience and a way to get game reps rather than seeking out victories would've been nothing to scoff at.
Yet that's not in the Utah DNA, and Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham had made sure everyone took note that the Utes would not be packing it in.
“It has been rough. It’s been different. It’s been challenging. But our guys have responded as well as they possibly could have. It was tough getting the rug pulled out from under them at the 11th hour in those first two games,” Whittingham said. “That was a little bit disheartening. But it was the right decision to make. They responded and played their hearts out. It’s been a four-game season but it seems like a 14-game season. It’s been a journey. But you’ve got to be resilient, you’ve got to be tough and keep fighting. That’s what they’ve been doing.”
Two games and two wins later, Utah looks like one of the top teams in the conference again. Led by a burgeoning star at running back in Ty Jordan and a young defense that continuously gets better, the Utes have improved week in and week out.
But what's been most impressive has been Utah's ability to stay together as a team throughout the tribulations in the early part of the season. Rather than throwing blame on one another or the coaches, the players have been accepting the blame themselves when they mess up. That sort of accountability has set the stage and groundwork for the Utes to build off of, even if they won't be playing in the conference championship for the first time since 2017.
“It is sad. This is the first time in my career that we’re not playing for a championship. Or the opportunity to go to a championship,” Covey said. “It’s different. You’ve got to dig deep. You’ve got to find what motivates you. We’re going to have one more game and this has been such a weird season.”
Dec 12, 2020; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Jake Bentley (8) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sportsffd
Now entering what could be the final game of the season, the Utes are one way away from ending the season on a three-game winning stage and building off what's been a massive success for the year.
So in a year when fire alarms are going off metaphorically and literally, it's even more that this Utah team has rebounded from a slow start to take up reigns as one of the conference's best.
"All the strength coaches acted like they were innocent in that act, but I have a feeling that one of them paid somebody to do it," quarterback Jake Bentley added. "But it was fine and it kind of got us woken up, and I applaud the guys for being ready, waking up and being ready to go."
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