This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Many fans may not like the late weeknight kickoffs in the Pac-12, but get used to them. Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott doesn't see the trend of 8 p.m. kickoffs ending any time soon.
Scott, who attended Thursday's game, said it is actually an advantage for Pac-12 teams to play late at night.
"On any given Saturday, there are 50-plus games going on, so there is a lot of dilution," he said. "One thing our TV partners like and why we got the TV revenue we got and the commitment of every game being available nationally was playing eight weeknight games and playing more evening windows on Saturdays. The truth is we rate really well and we get a lot of attention."
Scott said he realized the late kickoffs were a burden for schools and said the league was mindful to not overload any one school with late kickoffs.
So far, the Utes have had three 8 p.m. kickoffs this season. Utah's game against Stanford next week will kick off at 4 p.m.
Flying together
The parents of Utah quarterback Travis Wilson and former UCLA receiver Nick Pasquale flew to Salt Lake City together for Thursday's game.
Pasquale recently was fatally struck by a car and Wilson has dedicated the rest of the season to his friend.
Wilson and Pasquale grew up together in San Clemente, Calif., but went their separate ways after high school with Wilson joining the Utes and Pasquale walking on at UCLA.
Wilson has been wearing an "NP" sticker on his helmet to honor his friend.
High marks
UCLA offensive guard Xavier Su'a-Filo, a graduate of Timpview H.S., in Provo, has drawn raves for his abilities, but UCLA coach Jim Mora said he is just as important to the team for his leadership abilities.
"He has great influence on the team," he said. "He is a two-time captain who practices hard every day and has a great influence on the younger players."
Thursday's game marked the 31st start for Su'a-Filo, who leads the Bruins in starts.
Connections
Utah receiver Dres Anderson's father Flipper played wide receiver for UCLA from 1984-87 while Utah cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah's brother Karim Abdul Jabbar was a running back at UCLA from 1992-95 and is the fifth-leading rusher in school history with 3,812 yards.
Of note
There were 14 NFL scouts in attendance. … The Utah Jazz attended Thursday's game, watching from the south end zone's Crocker Room. Jazz CEO Greg Miller and player guests also attended. … Utah ski coach Kevin Sweeney was presented with the 2013 Don Reddish Award during the game. The award goes to the coach of a sport other than football, basketball or gymnastics, who is deemed to have had the most successful season the previous year. The Utah ski team took second at the 2013 NCAA Championships.
Twitter: @lyawodraska