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Travis Wilson would play Michigan on Thursday night if he could.
The way the Utah offense has rolled, scoring 115 points in two games, and the way the defense is one of the top-sacking units in the country, the Utes appear primed. And with Michigan getting blitzed 37-0 by Notre Dame, the Wolverines look wounded and ripe for a strike.
But hey, a break has its perks as well.
"It's getting a little getting a little extra time to prepare for them," he said. "We're going to take full advantage."
From top to bottom, Utah is looking at its bye, only three weeks into the season, as a positive. While there is a desire to keep the momentum rolling — he Utes played well in routing Fresno State 59-27 Saturday — there are those pesky "bumps and bruises" coach Kyle Whittingham keeps bringing up.
Junior Salt and Saiosi Aiono were taken out early in the game, and although Whittingham didn't have updates on their health, he didn't announce any season ending injuries either. Linebacker Gionni Paul could be back for the game after a foot injury during spring practice.
"In that respect, the bye is at a good time," he said. "We'll see how things go in this week off and how much healing can take place."
Optimism is high throughout the program after the Fresno game. Whittingham said the Utes have learned a lot in their first two games, namely that their offense could be a force to be reckoned with. At the moment, it's the No. 2 scoring unit in the country, and Wilson is the second-most efficient passer in college football.
"We've learned our offense has been completely embraced and executed by the offensive players to the point where it's hopefully going to be a positive for us for the rest of the year," Whittingham said.
While Whittingham said he still has a few things in mind to improve the defense, the consensus was the run-stopping game was much more effective, allowing only 55 net yards against the Bulldogs.
Part of those tweaks involved playing Nate Orchard as a stand-up linebacker and allowing him to roam and probe for weaknesses in the offensive line. Although the Utes consider his edge rushing ability his greatest strength, Whittingham said it could be a look they use more.
For defensive tackle Clint Shepard, there were only a few things to fix anyway.
"There's a lot of people talking about the first game, I didn't think it was that big a deal, I thought it was a few minor things," he said. "It wasn't like they dominated us. But we did a better job of limiting some of those big plays."
The Sept. 20 game at Michigan could be considered Utah's second start to the season, the point where opponents get much more high-profile. Whittingham said his players have been buzzing about the Michigan game for some time, one of the marquee destinations on the team's schedule.
With the largest capacity stadium in college football (111,000) and the most wins in college football history, the Maize and Blue has a way of igniting some passion, even if Michigan is struggling.
"Growing up, I was a crazy Michigan fan," Shepard said. "That was where I wanted to play. I dreamed about playing in the Big House. Having that opportunity, I can't wait to play there."
Whittingham said watching the Wolverines' game against Notre Dame is useful to pick up schemes and personnel match-ups. Utah isn't expecting them to roll over in two weeks' time, though.
The Utes aren't exactly taking a week off — they're taking extra time to prepare for Michigan's best.
"Obviously Notre Dame was ready to play, and they definitely got ahead and stayed ahead," Wilson said. "Michigan is going to be a different team when we face them. They're going to bring their A game and we've got to be ready for that."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Utah at Michigan
P Sept. 20, 1:30 p.m.
TV • ABC or ESPN2