Utah Utes Season Opener

For the first game of the season, the Utah Utes faced off against the Weber State Wildcats Rice-Eccles Stadium this past Thursday.

After a rough start with a 100-yard kickoff return from Weber State’s Rashid Shaheed, Utah was able to pull away with the win in a final score of 40-17. With the near two-hour weather delay that came in the first half of the game, it felt as if the momentum shift went from a confident Wildcats team, died after the storm rolled over. For the entirety of the first half, the yardage totals for Weber State were 84 yards compared to Utah’s 227 yards. After going into the half with a 19-7 lead, the Utes did not take their foot off the gas and continued to show why they’re in the Top 25. Finishing off the game with a total of 480 yards to Weber State’s 241 yards, even outscoring the Wildcats 21-10 in the second half.

My biggest concern for Utah after this first showing is protecting the ball on offense, having an interception on the final play of the first half then a fumble two plays into the second half. Though Weber State also had two turnovers during the game, the Utes need to be able to cut down on turnovers if they plan on staying a ranked team this season.

This Saturday, September 11th, is a game that every Ute fan has circled on their calendar, the historic Holy War against Brigham Young University will take place at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, UT at 8:15 Mountain Time on ESPN. This a game that most sports fans will be interested in with BYU looking to move into the BIG 12 to prove they’re a powerhouse team while Utah will look to show that the PAC 12 is a conference to fear.