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SALT LAKE CITY — Minutes after the overtime ended in Sun Devil Stadium, as the despondent Utah football team faced the harsh reality of a bitter loss, a Ute fan said to a media member that even in defeat it was better to be in the Pac-12 than to celebrate another blowout win over Wyoming or some other team from a lesser conference.
Amen.
"It's freaking awesome, to be honest with you," said Utah receiver Kenneth Scott, three days after the Utes lost 19-16 to Arizona State.
In one form or another, this whole season has been awesome for the Utes, who have won three Pac-12 games in thrilling fashion and lost two others by a combined four points. The loss in Tempe prevented the Utes from taking sole possession of first place in the South Division.
No matter the outcome, there's usually another ranked team coming up soon, as is the case this week when Utah plays host to No. 4 Oregon. Perennial power Stanford and nationally ranked Arizona follow in succeeding weeks.
"It's a blast," said tight end Westlee Tonga. "Losing those games isn't fun, but the energy is always there — the crowd is always there because it's a great game."
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Whether it is on the big screen or real-life action, most superheroes have a sidekick in one form or another.Life in the Pac-12 is an emotional roller coaster, unlike what it was in the usually predictable Mountain West. And for the first time since joining the conference four years ago, Utah can enjoy the ride, having beaten the two nationally ranked teams from Los Angeles, UCLA and USC in games that literally came down to the last play.
No wonder BYU fans are a tad jealous of their Utah counterparts.
"Heck yeah, it's fun," said Scott. "It's so fun playing different competition. You're playing against NFL competition every single week. You're not playing against New Mexicos no more."
As a comparison, a total of 34 players from the Pac-12 were taken in the 2014 NFL Draft, third most behind the Southeastern Conference with 49 and the Atlantic Coast Conference with 42. The Mountain West had 16 players drafted.
"You have to be ready every single week," Tonga said. "The level of competition is higher. The viewership is higher. All the stakes are raised."
Tougher competition makes it harder to hide blemishes. In Utah's case, the scars come in the form of an anemic passing game.
Earlier this season against the Mountain West's Fresno State, Utah passed for 268 yards and six touchdowns in a 59-27 rout, with Travis Wilson throwing five scoring strikes. In five conference games, Wilson has thrown a total of two touchdown passes. Kendal Thompson has thrown for one touchdown in three conference games.
It's a blast. Losing those games isn't fun, but the energy is always there — the crowd is always there because it's a great game.
–Westlee Tonga
Dres Anderson, whose college career ended with a knee injury before the ASU game, is Utah's leading receiver with 355 yards. Scott has 258 yards.
"If we were in the Mountain West or something like that all of our receivers probably would have 2,000 yards receiving. I'm serious," Scott said.
Against the Sun Devils, Wilson completed 12-of-22 passes for a paltry 57 yards. Coach Kyle Whittingham, who again opened the competition between Wilson and Thompson, said the offense needs to take more shots downfield.
Scott, who said the film showed Ute players made mistakes on 14 of the 22 passes, has grown frustrated with the conservative nature of the offense but still trusts the coaches. The film also shows the receivers can get open, he said.
"We just gotta be loose," Scott said. "Look at Brett Favre, he throws a gazillion interceptions, but he's one of the greatest quarterbacks. You gotta take risks as a player, you can't be uptight.
"There's gonna be times where you got take a risk," he continued. "You never know. I'm not gonna let a defender intercept a pass, so (it's either) going to be an incompletion or a big play."
Tonga shares in the frustration, which every Ute fan has experienced this season. He said if the players execute the play properly it comes down to the basics of throwing the ball and catching it.
"As an offense, we haven't played our best yet," he said. "That's a strength and weakness, and up to this point I think it's been a weakness. But it is a strength to have in your back pocket to know that you have what it takes regardless of what we've put on the field. We all know what we're capable of."
