Get to apperceive Fresno State's abutting adversary with Q&A with Shane Roberts from Block U.
The additional of Fresno State's three bold aperture juggernaut is adjoin Utah. Sandwiched amid amateur verses No. 15 USC and No. 22 Nebraska, could the bold adjoin Utah be somewhat overlooked? Hardly. Back abutting the Pac-12 Utah's non-conference almanac is 8-1, with the abandoned accident advancing adjoin in-state battling Utah Accompaniment on the alley in OT aback in 2012. With brilliant quarterback Travis Wilson accepting his medical clearance (though this summer he was cited for arrears drinking) Fresno Accompaniment will charge to comedy out of their minds to attempt on the alley in Salt Lake.
We afresh had the befalling to babble with Shane Roberts from Block U to get some acumen on what to apprehend from the 2014 Utes.
First off, the big account is Travis Wilson accepting his medical clearance. What does that beggarly for the aggregation and for the fans?
The Travis Wilson account is huge, not alone for Travis but for Ute fans. This was not your boilerplate abrasion for a football player, like a sprained abate or alike a broken ACL. This was an abrasion to an avenue in his brain. Aback that account came out, it wasn't about if Travis was activity to be able to comedy football, it was if he was activity to be ok and alive a advantageous life. So aback he was accustomed the apple-pie bill of health, Ute admirers were ecstatic.
Also, Wilson is a behemothic man and he can move. I watched the highlights verses Oregon State. Does anyone appetite to accouterment this guy? How can he be stopped? What are some of his weaknesses? He's an agitative QB to watch and aloof alike alarming from an opponent's point of view. Plus he's a California kid, so alone I'm affairs for him to do well, alike if it is for an out of accompaniment school.
When it comes to Travis on the field, aback he's healthy, he's a aerial akin Pac-12 quarterback. Aftermost season, afore he went bottomward with a duke abrasion and again his arch injury, Wilson was averaging 273 yards per game, with about a 63% antagonism percentage, and 13 touchdowns. That was through the aboriginal six games, and he advance the Utes to a 4-2 record, including a big win over Stanford. He's actual advancing and loves to advance the brawl downfield and goes for the big comedy often. Not to acknowledgment his teammates adulation him. His teammates alarm him the 'Bulldog,' and assemblage about him. They absolutely voted him as a aggregation captain as a accurate sophomore. Alone Alex Smith has had that account at Utah.
As you affectation in your question, Wilson isn't afraid to cull it bottomward and run. At about 6' 6" tall, Wilson is deceivingly fast and disconnected teams aftermost year with his legs, aback he was accustomed the opportunity. He's a a boxy agent too, he's not afraid to get up in there and get the boxy yards, and is additionally a accommodating acquaintance in the run game. Aloof acquisition his decleating block adjoin Cal in 2012 and you'll see what I mean.
As for his weakness, which is additionally a strength, is his aggressiveness. He tries to fit throws into bound windows and is absolutely the gambler. Sometimes he doesn't like to accomplish the safe play, like a analysis down, and tries to force it to his cardinal one guy, Dres Anderson, bottomward the field.
Speaking of California, Utah has a appealing able California afflicted agenda and a able Pacific Islander influence, which are both accustomed on Fresno State's roster. Any cantankerous over or tie-in's amid players that you apperceive of? Hopefully that makes for a hotly contested game.
As far as I'm acquainted there isn't a ton of cantankerous over amid Utah and Fresno. There is a big Utah affiliation with accepted Fresno OC Dave Schramm, who is a above coordinator/running backs drillmaster at Utah. Schramm was at the U for about six seasons, and clean-cut some abundant active backs actuality at Utah.
Josh Quezada has a bit of history with Utah as well. Utah was a finalist for Quezada advancing out of aerial school, but he absitively to go to battling BYU. Quezada played Utah alert while with BYU, activity 0-2 adjoin the Utes, while accepting 17 carries for 37 yards in those two games, including a bollix in the 54-10 exhausted bottomward Utah gave BYU in 2011.
Who are some of the players the accidental fan maybe has never heard of that you apprehend to booty the abutting footfall this season? Anyone we should be attractive out for?
Two names to accumulate an eye out for offensively, Devonte Booker and Kaelin Clay. Two JC transfers that accord some abundant bare abyss and accomplishment at both active aback and advanced receiver. Booker is my admired to eventually booty over the starting atom at active back, with his aggregate of acceleration and power. Kaelin Clay is actuality accustomed as one of the fastest Utes to anytime clothing up. He gives some austere acceleration and comedy authoritative abeyant in the advanced accepting corps.
Defensively, a name to accumulate in apperception is Gionni Paul, a alteration from Miami. He was the Hurricanes arch tackler two years ago as a sophomore. He is a playmaking linebacker that will advice ballast the Utes defense.
What's the activity on bringing Dave Christensen in as the OC? Obviously he had a lot of success with Brett Smith at Wyoming and is addition that knows Fresno Accompaniment adequately well.
The antecedent acknowledgment to Christensen's hiring was alloyed at best, because OC has been a revolving aperture back abutting the Pac-12. Back bounce has concluded and we are alpha to basic for abatement camp, the action for Drillmaster Christensen's breach has been growing amid Ute fans. He is bringing conduct to the abhorrent ancillary of the ball, and will hopefully accompany out the abeyant that we all apperceive this Utah breach has. The hires he's fabricated accept been abundant as well. He has brought in a new abhorrent band coach, Jim Harding, and the band is responding actual able-bodied to his coaching. He additionally brought in Taylor Stubblefield at advanced receivers, and he's absolutely honing in their avenue active capabilities and authoritative them added consistent.
Were you guys as abashed about assault Stanford and again accident to basically anybody abroad in the Pac-12 aftermost year? What happened? How did that happen?
Utah has consistently akin up able-bodied with acceptable ability football teams - see Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Nobody will band up and run over the Utes. Utah's d-line is aloof too good, and Utah has put the best arresting backs in the NFL than any added affairs over the aftermost decade. So the Stanford bout up wasn't that scary. After Stanford, the injuries bent up to QB Travis Wilson. Wilson got baffled and aged adjoin the Cardinal. He absolutely aching his duke absolutely bad, and could almost anchor the ball. He wasn't able to absolutely comedy at all adjoin Arizona and USC. Again adjoin ASU his duke was assuredly improving, but again he got a blow that appear an abrasion to an avenue in his academician that concluded his season. All while that was accident Utah aftermost their all-conference bound end, Jake Murphy. Once he went bottomward teams were able to focus on Dres Anderson and abrogate him. And amidst all that, Utah's o-line absolutely started to unravel. The larbo ard ancillary was a accepted gate, and no amount who was arena QB had abundant time to accomplish the able accommodation on any accustomed play. It was aloof a domino aftereffect that of bad o-line comedy and injuries that brought the Utes down. With all that said, alfresco of the Oregon game, Utah was in every game, they aloof were missing too abounding pieces to get over the hump.
What's the activity about Fresno Accompaniment advancing to town? We accept some history with you guys over the years. Any action for the game?
The activity about Fresno Accompaniment is appealing low key appropriate now. Utah admirers are aloof exited to see this new attending aggregation adjoin Idaho State. While Fresno and Utah do accept some history, abnormally from the WAC days, so abundant has happened in the aftermost 15 years that I'm not abiding if a lot of admirers are acquainted of the history. Utah admirers are absolutely acquainted of what Fresno has been accomplishing recently, abnormally with USU up the road. I anticipate it's fair to say we've consistently animated for Fresno to exhausted Boise.
Fresno is absolutely apparent as a actual arduous adversary advancing into Rice-Eccles Stadium. A lot of admirers are analytical of what the aggregation will attending like after Carr at QB. Once the ISU bold is over, again the absorption and action for Fresno will ascend exponentially. I anticipate a lot of admirers like to see some of the old appointment foes on the schedule, whether from the old WAC canicule or the Mountain West. It will be a fun matchup, there's no agnosticism about that.