This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Thursday's football practice at Rice-Eccles Stadium felt as much like a social gathering as it did a practice, with former coach Urban Meyer visiting in his new role as an ESPN analyst and former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach and Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo visiting, in addition to several former Utes including Paul Kruger and Casey Evans. Meyer, in town to film a segment for Spring Football 101 which will air the week of April 4, watched the practice from the sidelines then interviewed Utah players and coaches after the session. "It's a perfect story with Utah going into the Pac-12," Meyer said. "Everybody knows Utah and is interested in it." Meyer said the Utes must have a different mindset when they join the BCS league. "When you start saying 'Pac-12,' everything has to be Pac-12," he said. "No disrespect to the Mountain West, but when you are in the Mountain West, the BCS game is the one chance to show your stuff and show the country you belong. Now it's every week so it's different." Meyer said one of his top memories remains his final year with the Utes. "The 2004 team will go down as one of the best teams I've ever beenaround, and we had two great teams at Florida. It's hard todifferentiate. The '04 team with the players and the completecommitment to doing it the right way, I mean, that was awesome." Looking around the stadium, Meyer suggested the Utes should do more to market the Utes as a brand name. "My original thought was that I was awful proud that they made thisUniversity of Utah stadium.""I don't get why it's not 'Utah' everywhere. That's the way it'ssupposed to be.""They still can do more. They should pump this place up even more.Going to the Pac-12? Why can't this be the best stadium in collegefootball?" As for all the goings-on, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said it wasn't a distraction. "It's a bit more but it's still great, a lot of fun," he said. Getting to the work on the field, Whittingham was pleased with Thursday's effort, which was one of the most spirited practices the Utes have had. "It's a work in progress and without a doubt there is a learning curve," he said. "Things were a little sloppy today with the installation of the offense, but that is about what is to be expected." Receiver Dres Anderson and quarterback Tyler Shreve were among the standouts, Whittingham said. "Today was Tyler's best day," Whittingham said. "He has gotten better with each and every practice." The Utes are off until March 28 with spring break. Utah offensive coordinator Norm Chow was pleased with the progress going into the break. "We're still missing a lot of things, but they want to do well," he said. "Kyle has done a terrific job of getting this team prepared to work hard and to make sure we do. Kyle wants more of a run game so it's different, but they are getting it."
&n