SALT LAKE CITY — “Pac-12 After Dark” has become a way of life for the Utah Utes. Saturday’s homecoming tilt with Stanford was their fourth consecutive game that kicked off at 8 p.m. or later.
“Well, there’s no controlling it. I know that. We’ve certainly got good at the routine because we’ve had so many of these late kickoffs — not only this year, but in years past,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said earlier in the week. “And so we know exactly how we want to handle it as far as the meeting structure, the meals and just the whole routine. Our players are used to it. Counting the season-opener against North Dakota that started at 5:30 p.m., all five of Utah’s games this season have been in the evening.
“So it’s just something that we’ve grown accustomed to,” Whittingham added. “Like I’ve said, you can’t worry about it because there’s nothing you can do about it.”
The Pac-12 is nearing the midway point of a 12-year, $3 billion deal with ESPN and FOX that includes late kickoff windows, often not announced until six days before certain games are played.
Stanford coach David Shaw and Washington coach Chris Petersen have recently expressed their displeasure about the late start times.
Shaw noted that everyone is kind of like “zombies” the next day and players, particularly after late road games, spend much of their day off sleeping. Petersen apologized to fans for the inconvenience and expressed concerns about it hurting national exposure.
Utah safety Chase Hansen said there’s good and bad to the situation.
“By the time the game comes you are well-rested,” he said. “But it’s definitely not easy sitting around and just thinking about it over and over again, getting kind of antsy.”
On the positive side, Hansen noted, you can let it all go once you get on the field.
“It is what it, but the late ones are kind of fun playing under the lights. So it gives kind of an extra edge to it I guess,” he continued.
ANOTHER SELLOUT: Despite the late start, Utah extended its streak of consecutive sellouts at Rice-Eccles Stadium to 47 straight games. The announced attendance was 45,991.
“It’s a great venue. It’s a great home-field advantage,” Whittingham said as the Utes prepared for their 97th homecoming game. “The MUSS, the band, the crowd — it’s a big-time college atmosphere.”
EXTRA POINTS: Scouts from the NFL’s Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks were credentialed for the game. A representative for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl was also in attendance. … Prior to kickoff, a moment of silence was held for the Las Vegas shooting victims. … Leka Fotu and John Penisini started on the defensive line along with regulars Filipo Mokofisi and Lowell Lotulelei. … Troy Williams made his first start of the season at quarterback in place of the injured Tyler Huntley. Williams started all 13 games last year.
Contributing: Amy Donaldson