Utah Utes football: Led by seniors, team says its determined to finish strong

Which way will they go?

North? South? Somewhere in-between?

A week after a lopsided loss at TCU, the 23rd-ranked Utah Utes return to the field today, to face San Diego State in their home-finale at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

"This is kind of a turning point in our season — where we can finish out the right way, finish out with some wins," said senior linebacker Mike Wright. "Or we could let that game kind of hurt the remainder of our season."

The decision, he added, has already been made.

"We're looking to finish," Wright said.

At 8-2 overall and 5-1 in Mountain West Conference play, the Utes are determined to move past last Saturday's 55-28 setback in Fort Worth.

Leading the mindset are Utah's seniors, who will be honored in pregame ceremonies before their final home outing.

"We'd all like to send them out the right way," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "These seniors have won a lot of football games, and we want to thank them for their hard work and dedication to the Utah football program."

The 24 departing veterans include team captains Zane Beadles, Stevenson Sylvester and Koa Misi, as well as all-conference candidates David Reed and Robert Johnson.

This year's "Senior Day," however, has a youthful twist to it.

True freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn will be making his third career start and first since a spirited, but difficult, outing at TCU. He acknowledged being sore on Sunday.

"I've just got to keep getting up and keep swinging," Wynn said. "And that's what I did."

Wynn drew a lot of praise from the coaching staff and his teammates for his grit against the hard-hitting Horned Frogs.

The outcome, though, nullified everything.

"We didn't play very well and it showed," Wynn said. "... All that matters to me is the 'W.' "

Getting back on track is priority No. 1 for the Utes. They're still in position to have one of the best records in team history, 11-2 with season-ending wins over SDSU and BYU, plus a bowl triumph.

Utah's focus, however, is on the task at hand — the Aztecs.

"It's easy not to look ahead," Whittingham said. "Especially when you come off a disappointing game."