It’s been said that practice makes perfect, and that seems to be true for No. 4 Utah. Especially in the last couple of weeks, the Utes are seeing their efforts on the practice field translate at game time on their way to being the last remaining undefeated Pac-12 team.
The Utes have bought into the idea of “the process” that Whittingham preaches about daily. It might not be easy, but the players put forth the dedication and time to perfect their play on the field, all while enduring a tough Pac-12 schedule.
It is a steady grind, but through consistent practice, Utah hopes to reap the rewards that come from hard work. And by rewards, the players mean wins.
“I think it’s no secret that you can’t just have four days of bad practice and show up on game day, and our coach has really instilled that,” said Utah linebacker J.J Dielman. “We’ve kinda bought into the fact that you’ve got to put in the work if you want to win.”
It really isn’t a new concept for the Utes, since they were well aware of the challenges they would face during the 2015 season. But because of this mentality, Utah is clicking on all cylinders.
A big part of the the Utes’ undefeated start to the season has been the offensive line. Running back Devontae Booker had a huge game rushing the ball on Saturday, but if it wasn’t for the linemen up front, that may never have happened. With all eyes on them on Saturday night, the O-Block, as they refer to themselves, worked together and stepped up in a huge way.
“Obviously it feels good to be recognized, but that’s how the o-line is,” Dielman said. “You kinda just work, whether they mention you or not. It doesn’t matter — you let the actions speak for themselves.”
In order to see these results, Utah is looking to fine-tune some things during practice this week, such as the basic fundamentals. The motivation comes from within, and their desire to improve increases as the Utes continue to succeed. The players are hungry for that next win against Arizona State.
“Now that we see what we can do when we are 100 percent focused, from Day One [of practice] to the last day, we know that we’re going to be a really good team,” Dielman said.
The team’s willingness to learn and make adjustments during practice has become contagious to everyone on the roster. With the support of their veteran quarterback Travis Wilson, Utah will look to continue to move in the right direction when they play the Sun Devils this weekend.
Wilson sees the effort of his teammates and believes the grind throughout this week of practice will translate onto the field on Saturday.
“I think [practice] definitely goes hand-in-hand with this team,” Wilson said. “We practice how we play. We all buy into ‘the process,’ and if you are working hard, and you’re doing great during practice, then the game should come easy.”
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