After transfer portal and recruiting whirlwind, it’s finally time to play football
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LAS VEGAS — It’s finally time to play some football.
Since Utah found out on Dec. 3 it would be playing Northwestern in the Las Vegas Bowl, the actual game hasn’t dominated the headlines.
Instead, the transfer portal and the 2024 recruiting class, plus bowl game preparation, have had coaches pulled in three directions at once over the past three week. With most of Utah’s 2024 class locked up on Wednesday — though the Utes will still be active in the transfer portal and add more transfer players to the roster until it closes on Jan. 3 — it’s full-go on final preparations for Northwestern.
“Pretty hectic to play a bowl game right around the timeframe of signing day,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “Juggling a lot of a balls in the air trying to get ready for the game, practice, game plan, recruit, recruit your own roster now with NIL, make sure you’re able to keep those guys around. So there’s a lot going on but it’s been great week and finally time to settle in and just focus on the game.”
In a fairly unique move in this era of college football, Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes entered the transfer portal following the regular season, but will lead the Utes on Saturday. It’s a move both sides agreed to, with Barnes finishing what he started and giving Utah the best chance to win.
Even as offers from other schools roll in for Barnes, he’s focused on ending his Utah career on a high note.
“At the end of the day, whatever’s going on outside besides this bowl game is the least of my concerns right now. It’s about going out there Saturday and winning the game,” Barnes said.
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While Barnes and cornerback JaTravis Broughton, who is also transferring, are slated to play on Saturday, there are quite a few key players that will not be, either because they’ve entered the transfer portal or have declared for the NFL.
Utah will be without starting wide receivers Devaughn Vele, who has declared for the NFL draft, and Mikey Matthews, who has entered the transfer portal.
Per Utah’s recently released depth chart, Munir McClain and Luca Caldarella will fill in for the two in the starting lineup.
Elsewhere on offense, Utah will be without two of its starting offensive linemen: Keaton Bills and Sataoa Laumea, who will enter the NFL draft.
Defensively, both starting safeties — Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki — have also tossed their hat into the NFL ring, with Nate Ritchie and Johnathan Hall stepping up to fill their spots. At cornerback, Broughton is expected to play, along with Miles Battle, the Ole Miss transfer who played his final season of college football at Utah.
“Our two safeties (Bishop and Vaki) decided that they weren’t going to participate in the bowl, and that opened an opportunity for Nate Ritchie and Johnathan Hall. Those guys have been doing a great job in practice. We also had a couple of offensive linemen opt out. Jaren Kump and Tanoa Togiai have done a nice job filling in there,” Whittingham said.
“There’s a lot of other guys that won’t be with us, but I think every team in the country is in that same boat to some extent or another. It’s not unique to us. I guess the silver lining of it all would be giving guys reps and an opportunity to play, and a head start with them for next season.”
That extra practice time as a first-string player is extremely valuable, as is starting in the bowl game.
“I’m very excited, man. It’s a blessing. I’m so happy. I’m happy and I’m excited for what’s coming. ... Coach Scalley, I know he’ll do what he need to do for us to come out with the win,” Hall said.
Now that the roster is set for the bowl game, the Utes are full steam ahead in trying to beat Northwestern, the team that started Utah’s four-game bowl losing steak back in the Holiday Bowl in 2018.
“It would be nice to reverse that and get back on the winning track. We’ve got to go out and play well in order to do that,” Whittingham said.
Northwestern has seen a lot of change since that comeback Holiday Bowl win over Utah, starting with the coaching staff.
After a report of a hazing scandal broke in the offseason, coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired on July 10, mere weeks before fall camp was about to begin. Northwestern promoted David Braun, the team’s defensive coordinator who had been hired just six months prior, to the position of interim coach. Braun led the team to a 7-5 record, earning the Big Ten Coach of the Year award and the head coaching position permanently.
“I was asked yesterday how we did this and it’s the leadership. It’s the leadership from our student-athletes. It’s a staff that was faced with an incredible amount of adversity, found a way to pull together a locker room that did the same and that honor is simply a reflection of everyone that’s a part of this program,” Braun said.
Sometimes, a non-New Year’s Six bowl game comes down to which team actually wants to be there. Utah and Northwestern both seem locked in and ready to go on Saturday.
“The level of urgency, communication, intentionality that this group has putting on this display, they’ve left no doubt in their preparation,” Braun said.
“Elated to be here and proud of our team. I know both teams faced a lot of adversity this year in their own way and proud of our guys for being able to get to where we are right now,” Whittingham said.
Northwestern quarterback Ben Bryant will be playing his final game as a Wildcat and is eager to go out with a win. In eight games this season, he has thrown for 1,585 yards 11 touchdowns and six interceptions.
“It would mean everything I mean just all through I’ve been through personally and all through all the team has been. It would mean so much just to get that last win with these guys,” Bryant said.
Though the Wildcats’ offensive line has improved over the past three games, Northwestern still ranks 127th of 133 FBS teams in sacks allowed, with 48 this season. That presents an opportunity for the Utah defensive line.
Cam Porter leads Northwestern on the ground, carrying the ball 156 times for 618 yards and four touchdowns, while Cam Johnson and Bryce Kirtz have been Bryant’s favorite targets. Johnson has hauled in 50 catches for 684 yards and five touchdowns, while Bryant has caught 44 balls for 633 yards and four scores.
On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats have 19 takeaways, led by Xander Mueller’s three interceptions. The senior linebacker also added 102 tackles (10.5 for loss), five sacks and two pass breakups. The other half of Northwestern’s linebacker duo, Bryce Gallagher, has 110 tackles (four for loss), while adding a sack, an interception, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
“Excited to have the opportunity to play a great Northwestern team. Should be a great matchup,” Whittingham said.
