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BOZEMAN, Mont. — The University of Utah kicks off its inaugural campaign as a member of the Pac-12 conference this week against Montana State. The Bobcats are coached by Rob Ash, who is entering his fifth season at the helm since his hire in June of 2007.
The Bobcats have been working hard all throughout camp preparing for the Utes. The players are confident in their abilities but still respect their opponents in the opening game of the season. Ash spoke to the media about the tough task his team faces this week against the Utes. Here's what he had to say.
Week 1 Game Notes- Utah (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12) vs Montana State (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky)
- Date: Thursday Sept. 1, 2011
- Time: 6:00 pm (MT)
- Site: Salt Lake City (Rice-Eccles Stadium/45,017)
- TV: KJZZ
- Radio: ESPN700
- Series Record: Utah leads 9-0
- Last Meeting: 1982 (Utah 30, Montana State 12)
- Kickoff Weather: Partly cloudy, Temps: lower 80s
On his goals when playing an FBS (formerly Division 1) school:
"(We) try to win the game. We go play the game to win the game. We know it is a very, very rugged opponent and they've got great players and size and speed and depth, but we are going to go down there to win. There's no two ways about that."
On being prepared for the season:
"We are ready. We need to play a game. We need our polish day today and another polish day tomorrow, just to put the finishing touches on it and all of that. But, it's that time. It happens every year in football when you finish the preseason camp and you get to your first game; it just seems like an eternity since you've played a game. So, we need to play and we are ready to go."
On his thoughts after camp:
"I like the consistency of this team. We haven't had any severe ups and downs. We've had good practices every day. Good meetings, good attention to detail. I think this is a good, hard-working dedicated and consistent group of guys."
Landon Walters is a history and political science major currently studying at Salt Lake Community College and is an avid sports fan. He can be reached at mavericksoccer_22@hotmail.com.
