Utah Utes football: U. excited to turn attention to rivalry

Back on track after smashing San Diego State 38-7 at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday, the Utah Utes are more than happy to turn their attention to BYU.

The Utes close their regular season against the Cougars at BYU next Saturday. The two teams are relegated to playing for second place in the Mountain West Conference, but the game means a lot for bragging rights and which bowl game each team will reach.

"It's exciting," said Ute linebacker Mike Wright. "It's one of the greatest rivalries in the country. We look forward to this week each and every season. We're going to get ready this week and it's going to be a good game for us."

Utah got rolling against San Diego State after getting routed by TCU last week. The Utes rolled up 391 yards against the Aztecs, but the total could have been a lot higher. Utah gained 267 yards in the first two quarters while jumping out to a 38-0 halftime lead.

"It's definitely a big thing to get that bad taste from last week out of our mouths and come away with a good win — especially on senior night," said Utes left tackle Zane Beadles.

The Utes would now like nothing more than to spoil the Cougars' senior night on Saturday, but they know it won't be easy. They'll be facing a BYU team that's won three straight since losing to TCU by 31 points, and seven of its last eight. The Cougars are coming off an impressive 38-21 win over Air Force, a team that took the Utes to overtime.

"It doesn't matter where the game is played at, it's always going to be a close one," Beadles said. "Looking forward to getting down there with a little momentum now and we'll see what happens."

The Utah-BYU games are special ones to in-state players such as Beadles (Hillcrest), Wright (Bountiful) and Sealver Siliga (Copper Hills). They understand the nature and the history of the rivalry. They're also easily recognized by opposing fans and take some razzing from them.

"All the time," Wright said of being taunted by BYU fans. "We're going to show them what's up this upcoming week."

Wright added that it's an honor to play in the rivalry game.

"It's like nothing else," he said. "It's just a bitter rivalry. Fans get all into it and it's a fun game."

Imagine what it feels like for Siliga, who originally committed to BYU but changed his mind and became a Ute. He played sparingly in Utah's 48-24 win over the Cougars last season and is excited to play BYU as a starting defensive tackle.

"It's going to be great just because now I really get to play against them," Siliga said. "Last year I didn't get to play that much. Now I want to go out with a bang."

Beadles is looking forward to facing BYU one last time. He picked up his first win over the Cougars last season when the Utes broke a two-game losing skid against them.

"It's awesome," Beadles said of the rivalry. "I think it's one of the most overlooked rivalries in the nation and one of the most intense. It's fun every single year."

e-mail: aaragon@desnews.com