Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — In ksl.com's final set of build-up previews to the 2013 college football season, this week's assignment is to make each in-state team's case as "Best in State."
Our job? Convince you why Utah is the best team in the state. Fasten your seatbelts, you ain't seen nothing yet!
For those of you up in arms that KSL would make such an outlandish statement, you can read my colleague Greg Wrubell's post on Why BYU will be the best team in the state.
#poll
What's at stakeThis season brings a unique twist to the Battle for the Beehive Boot — each team plays one home and one road game against an in-state rival.
Utah will host Utah State and visit BYU.
BYU will host Utah and visit Utah State.
Utah State will visit Utah and host BYU.
Do the Utes have a shot at going 2-0 against the Cougars and the Aggies? Yes, but first some background info.
Utah vs. Utah State rivalry snapshot
Utah currently holds a 76-30-4 series advantage over their rivals to the north, with the Aggies winning in overtime 27-20 in Logan last season.
Prior to that, the Utes had won 13 straight, winning by an average score of 33-11.
Utah vs. BYU rivalry snapshot
Utah currently holds a 56-34-4 series advantage over their rivals to the south, with the Utes winning 24-21 in a wild ending that had the fans in Rice-Eccles storming the field three separate times.
The win extends the Utes current streak over the Cougars to three straight, four of the last five, and eight of the last 11. Enough said.
2013 brings consistency ... finally
You can sum up Utah over the last few recent seasons, at least on the offensive side of the ball, in one phrase — lacking consistency.
Seven different offensive coordinators in seven years — while adding to the fact that the Utes haven't had the same quarterback start and finish the season since Brian Johnson in 2008 — creates an uphill battle that the Utes haven't been able to overcome in their new conference.
Enter sophomore quarterback Travis Wilson.
As a true freshman, Wilson didn't start until week 5, but he was the only quarterback to play in every game in 2012. Mostly used as a wildcat QB in early action, Wilson was thrown into the mix to replace one quarterback that retired from football due to injuries and another that, while gritty, wasn't effective enough for the passing game to be a threat.
Wilson was thrown into a wildfire, but he responded well. His first start — at UCLA — he completed 23 of 33 passes for 220 yards. Later in the season, he even did the unthinkable — becoming the first Utah quarterback to throw for over 300 yards in a game (311 yards, 28-40, 2 TDS) since Jordan Wynn did it late in 2010.
Yes, the Utes went through nearly two complete seasons where defenses could put nine defenders at the line to stop the run, showing absolutely no respect for a passing game that had yet to prove that it deserved any.
What does it all mean?
At 6'6", 240 pounds and an improved offensive line, Ute faithful are confident that Wilson can end the streak of inconsistent quarterback play.
Co-offensive coordinator Brian Johnson gets to study and learn along side Dennis Erickson, who has already put his stamp on the Utes offense. Erickson has a plethora of experience at the collegiate and NFL level, with his forte being coaching offenses to put up a lot of points.
On the other side of the ball, Kalani Sitake is back at defensive coordinator. A new cast of players will anchor the defensive line, but if the Utes have proven anything over the years, it is that they don't have to rebuild - they simply reload.
What happened to the Utes vs. the Aggies in 2012?
The 2012 matchup in Logan was a perfect storm for an Aggie win - an overconfident, almost arrogant Utah team, and a Utah State team that played lights out with a huge chip on their shoulder.
Three Utah quarterbacks played for the Utes, with Jon Hays replacing an injured Jordan Wynn, and Travis Wilson, who threw a 28-yard touchdown toss to Kenneth Scott on just his third ever collegiate pass.
Utah State jumped out to a 13-0 lead, largely in part due to a blocked punt that was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. Even with that early advantage, the Utes battled back, and actually had a chance to win in regulation with a 52-yard field goal attempt.
In overtime, the Aggies struck first, but the Utes appeared to match until a questionable offensive pass interference call negated what appeared to be a touchdown pass from Jon Hays to Jake Murphy. Ballgame.
Next week, not one player on Utah's roster will be overlooking Utah State. They want redemption.
Can Utah make it four straight against BYU?
BYU wants this game. Badly. For the first time in recent memory, BYU players and coaches have referred to this game as "not just another game".
Understandably so. The Utes have owned the Cougars over the last decade. Utah has won three straight, two on blocked field goals and the other by 44 points on the Cougars home field.
The Utes have quietly gone about winning four of the last five and eight of the last 11 in the series, including three wins of more than 20 points.
BYU's defense will always be spectacular with Bronco Mendenhall as head coach. But until the BYU offense proves that it can go more than five snaps in between turnovers against Utah, logic dictates to "Choose The Red".
Regardless, this year's edition of the Utah vs. BYU game in Provo should provide one heckuva ride, considering that the rivalry will take a two year hiatus before resuming in 2016.
