Utah Utes football: Sakoda enjoys return to where he grew up

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Louie Sakoda returned to his roots this weekend.

The former Utah kicker/punter, who is now an undergraduate assistant coach, grew up in San Jose. He visited his parents Friday night and was able to see some of his best friends while the Utes were in town to face San Jose State.

"It's good to be back in the Bay Area and see some people," said Sakoda, who noted that his well-wishers got to see him on the field in khakis and a polo instead of a football uniform.

"I love doing what I'm doing and they're going to be Ute fans for life. So they're going to be rooting for the team no matter if I'm on it or not," Sakoda said. "It's great to have the support system even when I'm a coach ..."

Saturday's game marked the first time Sakoda had ever been to Spartan Stadium. He didn't really follow San Jose State football, he explained, noting that Stanford was his team of choice as a youngster.

Even so, the matchup between the Utes and his hometown team was exciting and fun for Sakoda. And he's not dwelling on the fact that the trip came a season after his eligibility expired.

"I'm still part of it," Sakoda said. "I don't feel like I missed it."

ROAD OPENERS: Utah entered the game with just three wins in its last nine road openers. The successful starts came against Michigan (2008), Arizona (2004) and Utah State (2002). The setbacks include Oregon State (2007), UCLA (2006), TCU (2005), Texas A&M (2003), Oregon (2001) and California (2000).

ON THE NETWORK: Saturday marked Utah's debut on ESPNU. The Utes, however, have made numerous appearances on the network's other outlets — going 10-7 on ESPN, 10-4 on ESPN2 and 13-6 on ESPN Plus.

AGAINST THE WAC: After opening the season with a pair of victories over Western Athletic Conference opponents, the Utes are now 122-66-7 over teams currently in the league.

NEW TURF: This was the first game played with new FieldTurf, which was installed before the season. That is the same type of turf that Utah installed at Rice-Eccles Stadium earlier this year. San Jose State has been playing games at Spartan Stadium since it opened in 1933. The stadium seats 30,456 for football, but it wasn't close to being full Saturday night. The Utes had a large contingent of fans on the southeast side of the Stadium.