For the first time in 48 days, the University of Utah football team boarded a plane and left the state of Utah on Friday.
After starting the season with three out of their first five games on the road, the Utes enjoyed a respite during one of the most critical portions of their schedule.
After a 48-14 win at West Virginia in Morgantown on Sept. 27, Utah had two bye weeks and four games in the state of Utah in a fortuitous scheduling quirk.
That included three home games — a 42-10 win over then-No. 21 Arizona State, a 53-7 win over Colorado and a 45-17 win over then-No. 17 Cincinnati — and a road game 45 miles down the road — a 24-21 loss to then-No. 15 BYU in Provo.
The impact of not leaving the state of Utah for nearly seven weeks can’t exactly be quantified, but it’s safe to say that it was a positive for the Utes.
In college football, traveling doesn’t have the same impact as it does in sports like college basketball, the NHL or the NBA — Utah is flown to their destination on a charter plane the day before the game and leave back to Salt Lake City immediately after the game — but it’s still nice for the team to have the same routine for 40-plus days and sleep in their own beds.
“Well, it all evens out because if you have a long stretch at home, that means you had some long stretches on the road or at least it all balances out,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.
As the Utes gear up for their second-ever trip to McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas, to face Baylor, the good news is that the temperature should be significantly lower than 2023’s trip. In a come-from-behind 20-13 win led by quarterback Nate Johnson (now a jack-of-all-trades receiver for the Utes), field conditions reached 130 degrees.
“It was really hot. Cleats, the rubber cleats, were melting on the players. Literally melting,” Whittingham said. “... What I remember is that heat. I also remember Nate Johnson. I think that was the game that he brought us back and we had that come-from behind-victory.”
This time around, temperatures will be in the high 70s when No. 13 Utah (7-2, 4-2) and Baylor (5-4, 3-3) kick off from Waco at 6 p.m. local (5 p.m. MST, ESPN2).
Unlike that game two seasons ago, when the Utes were playing without starting quarterback Cam Rising and running back Micah Bernard, the Utes have a pretty clean bill of health as they prepare for their 10th game of the season.
Aside from the season-ending injuries — safeties Rabbit Evans and Nate Ritchie, receiver Dadrien Zipperer, tight end Hunter Andrews among them — Utah listed no players on its availability report on Wednesday or Thursday.
Of course, very few, if any, players are 100% at this point in the season, but the clean report means that no players are expected to be held out on Saturday’s game, meaning starting defensive tackle Dallas Vakalahi, wide receiver Tobias Merriweather and “rhino” tight end Semi Taulanga are set to return on Saturday against Baylor.
After rushing for 422 yards against Colorado and 267 against Cincinnati, there’s another opportunity for a big rushing day for the Utes against the Bears. Baylor has allowed 177.6 rushing yards per game (No. 111 in the nation), and its rushing defense has only achieved a Pro Football Focus rush defense grade above 70 once while playing a Power Five team.
Utah will try to establish the run using mainly Wayshawn Parker, who has emerged as the team’s No. 1 running back, but quarterback Devon Dampier, Daniel Bray and NaQuari Rogers will be involved as well.
“I mean, that’s not changing my approach to anything,” Parker said. ”I mean, these teams can come out here and stop us, but we can also run over them. So our mindset’s still going to be the same as it was week one. Go out there and ball out, play the game, let the game come to us and be hungry always.”
Defensively, Utah will face perhaps its biggest test of the season.
Baylor’s passing offense is legit, with quarterback Sawyer Robertson powering the Bears to the nation’s No. 5 passing offense.
“As far as yards per game, I believe he’s No. 1 in the league in total offense per game and he’s got a good supporting cast,” Whittingham said. “He does not run as much as the quarterbacks that we faced this year, but he likes to beat you from the pocket with his arm and so we’ve got to find a way to not let him get comfortable back there and just go through his progression.”
Robertson ranks No. 5 in the country in passing yardage (2,780) and has thrown 26 touchdowns with seven interceptions. With as shaky as Baylor’s defense has been — the Bears are allowing 29.3 points per game and 383.3 yards per game — it’s been Robertson carrying the Bears.
Baylor has four receivers over 400 yards this season — tight end Michael Trigg (607 yards, six touchdowns on 40 receptions) and receivers Josh Cameron (581 yards, five touchdowns on 47 receptions), Ashtyn Hawkins (459 yards on 42 receptions) and Kole Wilson (433 yards, four touchdowns on 32 receptions).
Running back Bryson Washington has also rushed for 624 yards and six touchdowns.
While Dave Aranda’s defense hasn’t lived up to expectations, Baylor’s offense certainly has.
Utah’s secondary will have its hands full with Baylor’s talented receivers on Saturday night in Texas.
Whittingham’s No. 1 priority on defense will be getting pressure on Robertson. Baylor’s offensive line has allowed 16 sacks this year (No. 65 in the nation).
“Yeah, got to try to make him uncomfortable. If he just sits back there and has all day to throw and can throw to those, they got three really productive receivers, a really productive tight end catches everything,” Whittingham said. “They also have a really good back, he was a thousand-yard back last year and he’s closing in on a thousand this year. So they’ve got weapons around him and the offensive line is playing efficiently.”
No. 13 Utah is an 8.5-point road favorite, needing to win out to keep its Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff hopes alive.
After a well-timed bye week, the Utes are quite healthy as they roll into Waco.
“I’m excited to be back with my guys. Back to the grind. We know we got to win out from here to accomplish our goals, so excited to be back,” Dampier said.
