New Orleans is an extra-special place for Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and senior defensive back R.J. Rice.

As youngsters, both men played their first football games in the city. On Jan. 2, they'll return to their roots when the Utes face Alabama in the 75th anniversary Sugar Bowl.

"As a kid, I always wanted to play in the Superdome," said Rice, who attended several NFL, college and Sugar Bowl games in the massive facility. "So I'm excited to play in it. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Rice lived in New Orleans for about a decade. He played his first six seasons of little league football in Louisiana before his family relocated to Utah.

"I've haven't been back there for a long time," Rice said. "So it'll be good to get back."

Rice and his family are eager to return. Their excitement began as soon as Utah's bowl destination was officially announced.

"It was pretty cool to know that I would be able to go back home and show some of my boys where I grew up and stuff," Rice said. "So it'll be fun. It'll be awesome."

Whittingham also has special memories of New Orleans. He spent two parts of his life there.

The first, as an elementary school student, was from 1967-69 while his father, Fred, played for the NFL's Saints.

"I enjoyed it. I remember we lived in an apartment complex with a great swimming pool and the whole deal," recalled Whittingham, who was especially fond of being able to hang around his father's teammates. "I was in awe going in that locker room and seeing all those guys."

Watching practice and attending games at Tulane Stadium were among his cherished memories.

"It was a great experience," Whittingham said. "I enjoyed it."

Same goes for the start of his football career. It began In New Orleans as an offensive guard.

"I remember we had a pretty good football team," he noted. "It was a fun time."

Little league, however, wouldn't be the only time he played for a local squad.

In 1984, Whittingham returned to the Big Easy to play for the USFL's New Orleans Breakers. It was the first year of his marriage to his wife, Jamie.

"We both got to experience that together," Whittingham said. "So we're excited to go back."

RESPECTFUL TONE: Alabama coach Nick Saban had nice things to say about the Utes at his press conference on Thursday.

"Contrary to what a lot of people think, this is a very good football team. They're the sixth-rated team in the country, and rightfully so, in terms of what they've accomplished as a team and what their coaching staff has done with them," Saban said. "This is going to be a very challenging game for us."