Missionaries call that day off "P Day," short for "Preparation Day," and it's not really a day for goofing around. They still have to get up early and study, then do laundry and shopping and all the other things they can't get done on a workday.

There's no time to stay in playing shape. When missionaries return to the United States and arrive at Utah, they face what Whittingham calls "re-acclimatization" to regain their conditioning and their football knowledge.

"It takes a good eight to nine months until you're back where you used to be," Jacobsen said.

In the end, however, the missionary experience makes them better players.

Jacobsen, a 25-year-old senior, now weighs 250 pounds.

Toone weighs 238 and said he found when he returned, "My body was more mature, so I could put on weight more easily."

But Utah's advantage isn't just being bigger. The Utes have some wisdom, too.

"You've been through a lot," Jacobsen said. "You're older. You're not making the same mistakes.

"You feel like you have a pretty good perspective on life."