This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For the first time since he took over the starting role, quarterback Travis Wilson seemed unsure of himself and a bit rattled from his performance against Washington during his media session on Monday. He took the blame for the loss and the way he played, which is what most players do who are in leadership roles, particularly quarterbacks. Wilson admitted that taking over the starting role was harder than he imagined it would be and pointed out a year ago this time he was still in high school. It makes one wonder just how much pressure the freshman is feeling and how he'll be able to deal with it on Saturday. He knows the Utes have to win to keep their bowl hopes alive and he said he is playing for the seniors. That could be a good thing, but maybe a bad thing too if the pressure gets to him. Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said Tuesday he wasn't worried about the quarterback. "He is competitive, a very competitive kid," he said. "That is what you want a quarterback to be and we have a lot of guys like that that take not winning football games very hard and that is what you want. You want guys who are competitive. The more you have invested and the more you have put into the program the tougher it is to experience a loss and that is what you are looking for, the guys who are that way. You don't want guys who just let it roll off their back." Still, there is something to be said for shaking off bad performances and not letting them affect you the next week. Wilson has had some miscues here and there, but nothing like Saturday's unproductive outing. Now we get to see just how mentally tough a quarterback he is, at the ripe old age of 18-years-old. - Lya Wodraska