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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah quarterback Travis Wilson had a rough night Thursday, throwing six interceptions in a 34-27 loss to the No. 12 UCLA Bruins. On Monday, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said Wilson was suffering from an illness leading up to the game, which might have contributed to his poor play.
"He was in bed the whole game day leading up to that game," Whittingham said. "He got sick, actually, the night before that, and hasn't gotten over it yet. He's under medical care, obviously, and they gave him, from what I understand, a new dose of some different antibiotics to try and get rid of this thing.
"He should be OK," Whittingham added. "He should be at practice later today, hopefully, but he's been pretty bad for the last few days."
Despite the illness, Whittingham was not making any excuses for Wilson, saying: "No excuses. He was there. He was playing. So if you're playing, you've got to produce."
Wilson finished the game going 22 of 44 for 288 yards and two touchdown. Wilson's last interception came as the team was driving down the field with just under one minute left in the game. The Utes were down seven and the interception sealed the deal for the Bruins.
At Monday's press conference, Whittingham said few of the interceptions were actually on Wilson.
"Very few were on Travis," he said. "He got his a couple times as the ball was coming out, just as the ball was coming out, which changed the direction of the football, and the flight. A couple of them were right off receivers' hands.
"To tell you, if it's bad decisions, bad throws, it's one thing," Whittingham added. "You still say, ‘There were six interceptions,' which is a huge negative, but it was not all on Travis. In fact, very few were on Travis — one or two."
