Getting back to Pac-12 title game was ‘a long, hard road’ for the Utes, now unfinished business awaits

Utah Utes quarterback Tyler Huntley (1) makes a throw during the first half of an NCAA football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. | Colter Peterson, Deseret News

Utah returns to the Pac-12 title game with eight straight wins

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s road to complete some “unfinished business” hasn’t been a straight shot. It required an eight-game win streak just to get the Utes back in the Pac-12 championship game.

However, the journey was made and Utah (11-1, 8-1) is set to take on Oregon (10-2, 8-1) for the conference crown Friday (6 p.m., Ch. 4) at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

“It was very difficult to get back here. Running the gauntlet of a nine-game Pac-12 schedule is not easy and of course we started out from (a less than) ideal situation when we lost that first one and then had to run the table the rest of the way,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “So, it was a long, hard road, but the guys persevered and continued to work and continued to stay focused. They just continue to just attack them one at a time.”

As for “unfinished business,” Whittingham noted the mantra is something the returning seniors — many of whom returned instead of going to the NFL — adopted this season.

“It’s basically saying that we got there last year to the championship game and we weren’t able to get the win,” Whittingham said. “We get another chance this year and the message is that we need to try and finish and win the whole thing. We are in position to do that. But like I’ve said, we have a good opponent.”

Such was the case last year when Utah dropped a 10-3 decision to Washington in the Pac-12 finale. The lone touchdown in the game was a 66-yard interception return by Byron Murphy of the Huskies late in the third quarter. He caught the ball after it bounced off the hands and leg of Utah receiver Siaosi Mariner.

“Every loss is painful and as a coach, if you went back and you looked at all of the losses, you remember everyone and what went wrong. We didn’t get much offense generated last year and credit the Husky defense, they were really good,” Whittingham said. “So, it was tough to move the ball. That one play seemed to be the turning point in the game and we couldn’t overcome that. It was disappointing, but that is football. They made the play and congratulations to them.”

The Utes are back — once again one win from at least a Rose Bowl bid. This time, though, the College Football Playoff rankings are still in play. They’re currently No. 6 with advancement a possibility when the final two rankings are revealed Tuesday (5 p.m., ESPN) and Sunday. A trip to the national semifinals weighs in the balance.

Whittingham acknowledged it’s reminiscent of Utah’s trips to the Fiesta and Sugar bowls earlier in his coaching career.

“It does feel a lot like 2004 and 2008,” he said. “Those special seasons that don’t come around all the time where everything seems to be clicking, so there is that feel.”

Unlike those campaigns, though, Utah has undergone the transformation of a major switch — going from a Mountain West Conference team to a member of the Pac-12. Whittingham noted it was a tough transition and a big undertaking. So much so, in fact, that he compared it to spanning the Grand Canyon.

Now, as back-to-back South Division champions and with a winning record (42-39) against Pac-12 foes since joining the league in 2011, the Utes are on the cusp of finishing on top overall for the first time.

“I’ll never say we have arrived, but we have certainly been in the best place in our opinion since joining the conference by far right now,” Whittingham said. “We are on pretty solid ground and we are continually trying to get better and recruit better. We are building buildings and (the) stadium, and I think we are in a pretty good spot right now. But there is still a lot of work to be done.”

Pac-12 championship game

Oregon (10-2, 8-1)

vs. Utah (11-1, 8-1)

Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Friday, 6 p.m. (MST)

TV: ABC, Ch. 4

Radio: ESPN 700AM

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