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SALT LAKE CITY — On Jan. 5, 2015, quarterback Troy Williams began a two-year pursuit to prove his former school Washington that he was worth investing in.
It’s the one game this season, above all others, that means the most to Williams. Not even the games against his hometown schools USC and UCLA, two programs that didn’t even give him a look in recruiting, have as much importance as the matchup against the Huskies Saturday.
“It means a lot,” Williams said Monday. “It means an enormous amount to me.”
Although Williams attempts to toe the company line that it’s just “another game,” the Washington game is a story of redemption for Williams — an opportunity to show his former coaching staff “what they missed out on and how frustrating it was being in that situation.”
“I’ve been waiting for this game for two years now and it’s finally come, so I’m going to do everything in my power to help my team,” he said. “It’s everything I dreamed about ever since the day I left.”
Williams’ commitment to Utah was in part because it was in the Pac-12 and that he would get an opportunity to finally seek out some vengeance against the Huskies. From the day he committed, throughout spring football and now midway through the season, Williams has had a purpose.
That singular purpose hasn’t clouded his ability to perform for Utah leading up to the Washington game but has given Williams some vision, something to aspire to. In all, Williams said he’s “not a selfish player” and does whatever he needs to “to help my team win.”
The redemption story, however, has even been a point of emphasis for his family and friends, who remind him that “this is the one that you’ve got to get,” as if Williams needs any more reminders about what the opponent’s jersey looks like Saturday.
At Washington, Williams said he didn’t feel “wanted and appreciated” and that the coaches, including current head coach Chris Peterson, didn’t “show any respect.” However, he added that he left on good terms, but didn’t believe that he was “one of (Petersen’s) guys.”
From Petersen’s perspective, Williams was involved in a “chaotic” time where the coaching staff was attempting to “find our identity on offense.” Petersen had just taken the job as head coach after Steve Sarkisian accepted a head coaching job at USC and was reviewing the personnel left to him.
“I thought Troy was a good player when he was here and I knew he’d go somewhere and be a really good player,” Petersen said. “I think that’s proven true.”
In other words, incoming coaches may have a different scheme in mind than what the previous coach had in mind when recruiting someone like Williams. It happens every season in college football: athletes play a risk-reward game in an effort for playing time and exposure. However, schemes and personnel change, even on established teams like Utah where Kyle Whittingham has been the head coach for 12 seasons.
In the above case, neither side is bitter about its split, it’s just an opportunity for Williams to have a post-Washington resume game — an opportunity for some closure.
“It’ll be great to go out there and compete against those guys,” Williams said. “Those are my brothers and I have a lot of respect for them. Come this weekend, it’ll be a good fight.”
Although the stakes are high for Williams, and most importantly Utah who is trying to stay atop the South division, he said he’s trying to keep a level head and approach the game as much as possible without any added emotions.
“This whole week I’m just going to try to stay focused and try not to make it bigger than it actually is,” Williams said. “It’s hard to not do that, the fact that it’s my former school and they’re coming to town. I’ll just try to treat it like another normal game, but, of course, it’s in the back of my head: this is the game I’ve been waiting for.”
That test comes against an efficient Washington program on both sides of the ball. Washington is ranked No. 4 in the country in scoring offense and No. 6 in scoring defense, allowing opposing offenses only 14.6 points per game. Additionally, Washington is ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12 in red zone scoring offense and defense.
No. 17 Utah is expected to kickoff against No. 4 Washington at approximately 1:30 p.m. Saturday on Fox Sports 1. Prior to the game, ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be broadcasting from President’s Circle on the University of Utah campus. The ESPN broadcast begins on Saturday at 7 a.m. and runs till 10 a.m.
Fans may camp out the night before starting at 4 p.m. and can get in line for the “pit” area of “GameDay” on Saturday morning. The university is encouraging fans to “dress in Halloween costumes to create a festive scene.”
