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BOULDER, Colo. — The University of Utah football team is at home again this weekend to celebrate Senior Day against new Pac 12 foe Colorado. The game at Rice Eccles will be the final one for 18 Ute Seniors as well as the first “Rumble in the Rockies.” Colorado leads the all-time series with 30 wins to 24 (with three ties), but the teams have not met since 1962.
Colorado University head coach Jon Embree will be coaching his final game of his inaugural campaign with the Buffalo program after playing in Boulder in the mid-1980s. Kick- off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on Root Sports (formerly FSN Utah).
Embree met with the media earlier this week to discuss last week’s loss to UCLA as well as the game with the Utes. Here are his comments.
Any surprise that his team came out flat versus UCLA:
“I don’t know about the term ‘flat.’ I don’t buy that. Guys can say what they want, but we talked about it being their bowl game so if you come out flat for your bowl game, that says something about you. They got their workout gear early, simulating like they were getting bowl gifts. We had In-N- Out Burger at the hotel on Friday night. So trust me, we did all we could to let them feel special and understand that it is a special game and a great opportunity at the Rose Bowl. So if you say you came out flat, that says something about you, no one else but you. If you can’t be excited to go play in the Rose Bowl, you can’t be excited that you got gear, whether it is sweats, shoes, sweatshirts. You get to do all that stuff and you can’t go play? If you say you are flat, then that says a lot about you, because believe me, we talked about that starting on Monday. It was going to be their bowl game. So if you can’t be excited about your bowl game, being in the Rose Bowl, no matter what the circumstances are, then you probably shouldn’t be playing football, plain and simple.”
A lack of execution against UCLA:“Yes, some of it. Some of it was mismatches; it was a combination of that. Worked on different things that we knew that they were going to do and we just didn’t do it at times. We knew that when player X was in a certain position, they were blitzing, and player X got in that spot and we don’t look for them. Things like that. Other times, they just beat us. It was a combination.”
The importance of winning this last game to help for next season:
“Not so much for next year but you don’t want to lose your last game, period. For some of these guys, it is their last game, your last game. There are 28 guys graduating. Maybe 24 or 25 of them, that this is their last game; your last chance, your last opportunity.”
Will the last game of the season make the team play with more passion?:
“Possibly, but the really good players, they play every game like it is their last game. Because you don’t know, you are not guaranteed senior day. We talked about that earlier in the year. (If) this would have been Doug Rippy’s senior year; he didn’t know that his last game would have been at Washington. So we talked about that as a team. (Anthony) Perkins is going to try, but Oregon could be his last game. In this sport, in this game, you have to play and some people think it is a cliché, but some guys when it their last play or last game and they didn’t know it or their last game and they didn’t realize it, reality will slap them in the face. Very few people get to say, I’m done saying, at any level. You are either told, ‘You are not good enough,’ or you make too much and they cut you, no matter what it is. Generally, it is the game telling you that they don’t want you around anymore. As an athlete, you have to understand that every time you go out there and compete and do something that it could very well be your last chance.”
Anything specific he will say to the team before kickoff to fire them up:
“I don’t know. I don’t think there really is. Every week we have done something unique. Again, Mac didn’t do stuff every week. At some point you have to go play. When you were 10 years old and had your little league game, that was the only day of the week that I could get up. You are watching cartoons, eating your cereal, putting your pads in your pants. You are not playing until noon, and it is seven in the morning, sitting around in your pants waiting to play the game. Why does it change? Because there are 50,000 people in the stands? To not have that excitement and the butterflies in your stomach every time, that is what you need. That is how you need to feel about the game and the opportunities. Sometimes it’s pep talks and all that. I understand that. But if you need one every week, you probably shouldn’t be out there.”
Not playing Nebraska the Friday after Thanksgiving:“I like playing the Friday after. I would rather it be home all the time. I think there is something about Thanksgiving. I have been fortunate enough to play in a Thanksgiving game in the NFL, or at least coached in it. There is just something about playing in that timeframe, playing on Thanksgiving day or the day after. It makes it special. It gives it uniqueness, and I think it is good for the kids too. We’re out of school right now, and it gives them something that makes it a little bit special so it is not a normal routine for them.”
Seeing a different shade of red than Nebraska:
“Yeah, it will still be red, but it won’t be 'the Big Red,’ I guess. I’m sure when we get to the stadium, we will see a lot of red. On tape, it looks like a lot of their fans wear black. That is a color, I guess, in their scheme. So there might be more black than red in the stands. Maybe that might help us too.”
The Utah running game:
“The back (John White) is a physical back. He runs through tackles well. You can’t arm-tackle him, and he has enough speed to finish it once he gets through. They do a good job setting it up with their quick passing game. They mix a little bit of the spread stuff. It will be a challenge. Defensively, once again, we have to tackle. It is bittersweet seeing them kind of hitting their stride especially offensively because of (offensive coordinator) Norm (Chow). Norm is a good friend of mine, and I know he has been maligned a little bit. So it is good to see that he can still coach.”
Noticing any changes with Utah since earlier this season:
“I haven’t watched much of them from that early in the season. I have just watched the last few games, so I haven’t really noticed if they have changed a lot. When we were playing others teams that we were watching and evaluating, I didn’t really study them like you do when you play them. I’m not sure if there has been a big difference.”
Utah quarterback Jon Hays:“He is a real good player. He throws it, he takes his shots deep. He gives his guys a chance. They have good speed on the edge at wide receiver. Their offensive line is a big, physical line. Obviously, that is part of the reason for their success in their run game. I think the quarterback does a good job in managing it. You can see that he gets more comfortable the more he has played. When he first got thrust into it, he struggled a bit. But that can be expected. But he has seemed to have settled down and has taken the role very well.”
Does he feel this rivalry is being forced on both teams?:
“A little bit. It’s funny; Kyle (Whittingham) and I were talking about that when we were in New York, if it is or if it isn’t. They have BYU that has been their bitter rival and they play them every year. Whether or not they see us as their rival and vice versa, and as I’ve said a few weeks ago, that stuff works itself out. If it is going to be Utah, then it will happen. If it is not Utah and someone else, then it will happen. I think that all remains to be seen.”
Landon Walters is a history and political science major currently studying at Salt Lake Community College. He is an avid sports fan and loves writing. He can be reached at mavericksoccer_22@hotmail.com.
