Family and Utah being his alma mater, he noted, are two primary factors that have kept Andersen in Salt Lake City.

"I think it's just a matter of time before Gary becomes a head football coach. But he's on his own timetable, and he's going to make that decision, obviously," Whittingham said. "We're elated he's on our staff right now, and we hope to keep him as long as possible. But he's certainly a coach that's going to go a long ways in this profession."

Andersen, who has been mentioned in recent reports concerning defensive coordinator openings at Washington and Louisville, said he's had no "face-to-face contact" with any other program and is focused on Utah's Poinsettia Bowl game against Navy.

HEADED TO THE HULA BOWL: Safety Steve Tate has accepted an invitation to the Hula Bowl, Jan. 12 in Hawaii. The senior has led the Utes in tackles the past two seasons — making 102 stops in 2006 and 98 this season. Tate was recently named first-team all-conference by the Mountain West.

"He has just been tremendous in his efficiency for us,"

Whittingham said. "You couldn't ask for a better senior year out of a player than what we got out of Steve Tate this year."

Tate will be joined in Hawaii by teammates Martail Burnett and Gabe Long. The defensive linemen were invited to the all-star game earlier this month.

GAME NOTES: After clear weather early in the week, a rainstorm hit San Diego Tuesday night and continued into Wednesday morning before clearing. The forecast, according to the Weather Channel, is for 55 degrees and showers at game time today ... The payout for each team is $750,000, the minimum for bowl teams ... Qualcomm Stadium holds 66,000 fans ... Utah will occupy the north sideline and Navy the south ... The beneficiary for the game is the Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego.

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CONTRIBUTING: Dirk Facer

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E-mail: sor@desnews.com