Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY – As a ranked team for the first time in the preseason, No. 20 Utah already has a measure of respect.
Keeping it or moving up in the national rankings will take a good start.
Utah opens the season Thursday against Texas A&M in a game that can either solidify the Utes’ status as an emerging program or knock them back into the realm of relatively unknown teams from the West.
Although he loves the buzz Utah football is creating around town, coach Urban Meyer has grown tired in the last month of talking about the highest expectations in school history.
“I’m anxious for it to disappear and I think it will when that foot hits the ball at 5:45,” said Meyer, who is entering his second season at Utah.
In just one season, Meyer has reinvigorated college football in Salt Lake City. The Utes went 10-2 last season and won their first outright conference championship in 46 years.
Local officials have declared Thursday “Utah Day,” hoping fans can sneak out of work in the afternoon and enjoy some pregame festivities before the early evening kickoff. Utah set a Rice-Eccles attendance record last season with 46,768 against Cal last September and could top that against the Aggies.
“The atmosphere feels way different than when we played a couple years ago. The whole city seems hyped,” running back Marty Johnson said. “I’m driving to school, I see ‘U’s painted on the street. It just seems like everybody’s ready to go.”
This kind of atmosphere hasn’t been seen recently at Utah, at least for college football. A&M has more tradition and plays in a bigger conference, but the Utes are favored Thursday. It’s a bit of a role reversal.
“As far as I can remember, A&M was always going to go on the road and beat their butt,” Aggies offensive lineman Aldo De La Garza said of A&M’s non-conference opponents. “Now it’s different. But, you know, being an underdog can be the greatest feeling in the world.”
As quickly as the excitement about football has taken over the Utah campus, it could go away just as fast with a loss to the Aggies.
A&M was the only non-conference team to beat Utah last season. The Aggies scored the first three touchdowns, then had to hold off the Utes on a two-point conversion attempt with 8 seconds remaining in a 28-26 victory in College Station.
Brett Elliott was Utah’s quarterback in that game, but broke his wrist on the conversion attempt and was lost indefinitely. Alex Smith took over and was an unexpected success with 2,247 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. He also threw just three interceptions as grew more comfortable with Meyer’s spread offense as the season progressed.
“We did not see him last year, but watching him on tape he’s obviously kind of special,” A&M coach Dennis Franchione said. “He plays a little bit like a seasoned veteran from the way he came in and took off on their offense.”
And a high-powered offense could be bad news for the Aggies. The vaunted “Wrecking Crew” defense finished 96th nationally in total defense after allowing 465 points in Franchione’s first season.
As far as the Aggies are concerned, it can only get better.
“Why not test the waters right now? We’ve been looking forward to this challenge,” linebacker Justin Warren said.
Aggies quarterback Reggie McNeal missed all of spring practice because of shoulder surgery, but returned in time for fall camp. He said he was healthy, relaxed and ready.
The Aggies also like that Utah has the pressure of living up to preseason expectations. Although the Utes themselves are saying little ? Meyer won’t let them ? about the potential of maybe cracking the BCS lineup, fans are talking about the possibilities.
“That’s the best thing, when people talk smack like that. And then when we go over there and upset them ? there’s nothing better than that,” De La Garza said. “They have every reason in the world to be talking smack like that, but the game is played Thursday night. We’ll see what happens then.”
“All we can expect is for a big ol’ street fight.”
