#17/16 Utah Hosts #4 Washington in Nationally-Ranked Matchup

Saturday, October 29

Salt Lake City, Utah

1:30 PM

University of Utah

Washington

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#17/16 Utah Hosts #4 Washington in Nationally-Ranked Matchup

10/24/2016 3:09 PM | Football

Utah vs. Washington Pregame Notes Quotes from Kyle Whittingham Press Conference Pac-12 Networks Preview Video

The Game
> No. 17/16 Utah (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) vs. No. 4 Washington (7-0, 4-0 Pac-12)
> Saturday, Oct. 29, 1:30 p.m. MDT, Salt Lake City
> Televised on FS1
> ESPN College GameDay visits the University of Utah
> Search #UWvsUTAH for conversation

ESPN College GameDay
> ESPN College GameDay will televise from President's Circle on the University of Utah Campus Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28-29.
> There will be live hits on ESPN from President's Circle throughout the day on Friday, including a live show from 11:30 a.m.-noon MT.
> Admission is free to the ESPN GameDay activities both days. Overnight camping will be permitted in President's Circle starting at 4 p.m. Friday and the line to get into the 'Pit' will form early Saturday morning.
> The ESPN College GameDay show airs live from 7:00-10 a.m. MDT, Saturday.
> Attendees on Saturday are encouraged to dress in Halloween costumes.
> This is the second-straight year that Utah has hosted ESPN College GameDay and its fourth time ever. The Utes are 2-1 when hosting GameDay, beating BYU in 2004, losing to TCU in 2010 and beating California in 2015.

Utah in the Rankings
> The Utes moved up two positions in both polls after last week's win over UCLA and are now No. 17 AP and No. 16 Coaches. See pages 16-18 for Utah's history in the national rankings.
> This is Utah's sixth week in the top 25 this season. The Utes broke in at No. 24 AP/No. 23 Coaches on Sept. 18.
> Utah is 71-18 all-time when ranked in the AP poll and 18-7 since joining the Pac-12 Conference in 2011.
> Against AP top-25 opponents, Utah is 21-59 all-time, 19-20 since 1994 and 6-9 as a member of the Pac-12.
> When both Utah and its opponent are both ranked, the Utes are 10-8.
> Utah is 2-7 against teams ranked in the AP top five, with the victories coming over No. 4 Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl (2008 season) and No. 5 Stanford in 2013.

Five Facts
> Utah is tied for the Pac-12 South Division lead with Colorado, both with 4-1 league records. Utah is 7-1 overall and CU is 6-2.
> At 7-1, Utah is bowl eligible for the third-straight year. Utah is 3-0 in bowl games as a Pac-12 member, beating Georgia Tech in the 2011 Sun Bowl and winning the Las Vegas Bowl in both 2014 (Colorado State) and 2015 (BYU).
> In its sixth season since joining the conference, Utah is 24-26 against Pac-12 opponents and is .500 or better against six of them: California, Colorado, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA and Washington State.
> Utah quarterback Troy Williams began his career at Washington, redshirting in 2013 and playing in five games with one start in 2014.
> Running back Joe Williams was the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week and the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after running for a school-record 332 yards in Utah's win over UCLA—the best rushing effort in the nation this season.

In the Huddle
Saturday's game marks the first time junior quarterback Troy Williams has faced his old team. Williams signed with Washington in 2013 as the No. 1 dual threat quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com. He played in five games with the Huskies in 2014 and was 0-1 as the starter. Williams played at Santa Monica College last year. See 'Quarterback Notebook' for more … Redshirt freshman running back Marcel Manalo has left the team. He played in two games (Arizona and OSU), with no statistics … Defensive end Hayden Clegg and defensive tackle Vaha Vainuku were part of a special fullback package last week at UCLA, switching their numbers to 40 and 89, respectively. They will keep those numbers for the remainder of the year … New to the depth chart as backups are Bradlee Anae at defensive end and Julian Blackmon at corner … True freshman running back Zack Moss returned to action against UCLA after being sidelined by an injury the previous two games. Junior running back Troy McCormick suited up but did not play at UCLA and has now missed three games … Nine true freshmen have played: Moss, Julian Blackmon, Demari Simpkins, Bradlee Anae, Terrell Burgess, Leki Fotu, Tyler Huntley, Donavan Thompson and Devonta'e Henry-Cole.

Ute Proud Game
In the third-annual Utah football Ute Proud day, Utah Athletics will celebrate its alliance with Ute Tribe by recognizing members of the tribe in attendance. There will also be a special halftime cultural demonstration by the Ute Indian Tribe's Pow Wow committee. Fans are encouraged to wear Ute Proud t-shirts, the proceeds of which benefit Ute Tribe scholarship and youth programs. For more information on the Ute Tribe and to purchase t-shirts, visit www.UtahUtes.com/UteProud.

Activities at the Game
There will be free trick-or-treating for children in costume along the Ute Walk route. Kids in attendance will receive a trick-or-treat pillow case from Pac-12 Networks and candy from the Utah spirit team. The Ute Walk begins at 11:00 a.m. on the corner of Guardsman Way and 500 South … The U.'s Bennion Center will present Utah gymnast Maddy Stover and swimmer Gabby Hestwood with the Student-Athletes in Service Award for their community involvement … Visiting Chinese coaches who are observing and interacting with Utah's varsity teams and departments will be introduced on the field … University of Utah Health Care (UUHC) will be honored during the game for its No. 1 national ranking in quality, safety and accountability. It marks the seventh-straight year that UUHC has ranked among the nation's top 10 academic medical centers in quality, safety and accountability.