Utah Utes football: Facing final game, seniors try to savor the moment

SAN DIEGO — It's a transition day for the Utah Utes. They've wrapped up preparations in Salt Lake City and were scheduled to arrive here this morning.

A late afternoon practice is set at San Diego State as the Utes gear up for Wednesday's Poinsettia Bowl game against California at Qualcomm Stadium.

It's a bittersweet time for Utah's seniors.

"It's definitely weird coming down to the end. I'm just trying to savor every moment of it," said left tackle Zane Beadles. "I'm excited to play, go out there one more time with my boys and finish the season out right. I'm excited about that for sure."

Reminiscing, he added, can wait.

"I think when you start thinking about that stuff, that's the time when you get hurt really," Beadles explained. "If you're not out there giving it your everything and you're not really focused on it, that's when things go wrong. I try to stay away from that."

Fellow captain Stevenson Sylvester admits the finality of it all is suddenly hitting him. He earned his degree and practiced at the U. for the last time.

"It's been a big day and a big week," Sylvester said. "I'm just soaking it all in."

True freshman Jordan Wynn understands how the seniors are feeling. He has fond memories of his last practice at nearby Oceanside High School.

"I definitely didn't take it for granted and I'm sure none of them will," Wynn said of Utah's final practices before the game. "It'll be the end to a great senior class that's come through."

Emotions could run high.

"I think it's definitely going to hit them a little bit," he continued. "For a lot of them, it might be their last chance to ever play football."

As such, the Utes are determined to cap things off on a high note.

"We're definitely not going to take this bowl game lightly — especially for the seniors and the legacy they left here," Wynn said. "We've got to send them out right."

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, however, isn't expecting any of the 24 seniors to be too emotional as their careers wind down.

"I don't think many of them are concerned with that," he said. "They're just excited about the opportunity to play one more game together."

Even so, Whittingham does recall his final practice as a player at BYU.