In the fall of 1989, just four days after the Loma Prieta earthquake rocked the Bay Area, I stood in the stands at Stanford Stadium watching the Cardinal take on the Utah Utes. I hadn't been able to convince any of my friends to come with me, which wasn't surprising since it was raining and the not-so-mighty Card were in the middle of a rather dismal 3-8 season. I was marginally interested in watching Utah's quarterback, future NFLer Scott Mitchell, but mainly I wanted to go to a game wearing a raincoat; I thought that would somehow elevate my fan status, as if I were earning a merit badge of some sort.
Stanford lost to Utah 27-24 that day, and in the end I didn't even feel like a better fan than I had been the week before.
The Cardinal and the Utes have matched up twice since that rainy afternoon, splitting games played in 1995 and '96. (Stanford also owns a big 57-0 win over Utah Agriculture in 1904, which has nothing to do with anything. I just like to think about a team of farmers coming to The Farm to play a game of football, then going home to what is now Utah State.)
Anyway, all of those previous matchups were obviously before Utah's inclusion in the Pac-12, so this is the first time that these two teams will square off as conference rivals. The addition of Utah made perfect sense; aside from Boise State, the Utes had been the only non-Pac-10 school west of Texas playing consistent quality football for the past decade. Now we get to see them up close.
To help us get a better idea of what to expect from these newcomers, I got in touch with Sean Reynolds of the Utah blog, Block U, and he dropped some serious knowledge. (You can also head over to his site to read my responses to his questions about the Cardinal.) Read on...
Go Mighty Card:
It's been three years now. How has Utah's inclusion in the Pac-12 helped or changed the program?
Block U:
It's helped the program, even if the results haven't indicated as much. The Mountain West offers a road to nothingness and staying on that road would have slowly bled the program. The fact is, they're set to make bank in this conference and that's huge, as I don't think we get a new football facility still playing in the Mountain West. Beyond that, we'll be able to upgrade facilities like the Huntsman Center and, hopefully, an expansion of Rice-Eccles Stadium to roughly 60,000 fans.
GMC:
Uptempo spread offenses are spreading through the Pac-12 like wildfire. Describe Utah's offensive approach.
Block U:
Dennis Erickson has retooled the Utah offense to include more speed. They do like to go uptempo, but certainly not at the level of Oregon or other more prolific teams. Erickson likes to pass, and seems to be more open to big plays than previous offensive coordinators, so, it's been an interesting transition, especially since it's been pretty effective.
GMC:
And what about Travis Wilson? He's putting up some great numbers so far. What can we expect to see from him? What are his strengths? Any weaknesses?
Block U:
I think Travis Wilson is a phenomenal talent and, as a sophomore, is likely to only get better. He did throw six interceptions last week, but the word on the street is that he was suffering from strep throat. So, that could have played a role in his struggles (even then, he kept Utah in the game). He's probably the most dynamic quarterback at Utah since Alex Smith and his throwing ability is pretty impressive. He also can run, despite his height, though I wouldn't call him entirely mobile. His weaknesses? He's thrown a lot of interceptions this season. If he can fix that, he'll be one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
GMC:
What type of a defensive scheme do the Utes run? Who are some of the stars on that side of the ball?
Block U:
Utah likes to still run their 4-3 defensive scheme, which has struggled a bit at times this season. In their first few games, the secondary was just ripped apart by opposing quarterbacks, especially Sean Mannion of Oregon State. However, the defense has really stepped it up the last two games, holding BYU in check and defending very well against UCLA. I'm excited to see what they do against Stanford, whose offense can certainly beat teams up. I think Trevor Reilly is the best player on the defense, and one of the best players on the team.
GMC:
Pick a player on offense, defense, or special teams that you think needs to step up for Utah on Saturday.
Block U:
I'm gonna go with Wilson. He can't throw six interceptions again (duh!) and had he even halved that against UCLA, it's like the Utes win that game.
GMC:
Finally, what's your prediction for the game? How do you expect things to go, and what's your final score?
Block U:
No prediction. I think it'll be a good game, though! I don't anticipate a blowout for Stanford, but I wouldn't be shocked if it happened, either. Still, I'm optimistic Utah has a chance. Beyond that, though? Who knows?
