If Utah’s offense starts slowly Saturday morning vs. Northern Illinois, the players won’t be able to use the unusual kickoff time (11 a.m.) as the explanation. Ute quarterback Mark Stevens removed that excuse 36 years ago against Wyoming.
And if the Utah defense performs as poorly as in another home game that began in the morning, 23 years ago vs. BYU, coach Kyle Whittingham won’t cite the kickoff time as the reason. He loves it.
“As coaches and players, you want to get up and play right away,” Whittingham said.
The Salt Lake Tribune’s informal survey of 75 fans this week produced almost an even split about the 11 a.