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Asked to describe each other, they both say the same thing:
He's a goofball.
But, a goofball who gets down to business when it's time to get down to business.
Going a little further, Trevor Reilly and Nate Orchard are 255-pound, 6-foot-4-plus ball-carrier-crushing goofballs who get few laughs out of opposing offenses.
"Defensive disrupters," Reilly termed them.
The eccentric Reilly and the jovial Orchard played together for three years, but with Reilly taking his act to New York, Utah's defensive front is now Orchard's show to headline.
"Before me it was [Cleveland Browns outside linebacker] Paul Kruger," Reilly said by phone last week. "Obviously, it was me. Now, it's going to be Nate, and I think he's off to a great start."
A senior captain, Orchard broke through for 2.5 sacks in little more than a half of work against Idaho State. Against Fresno State he had six tackles, a fumble recovery for a near-touchdown and a pass breakup. And perhaps most intriguing yet has been his impression of Reilly, dropping off the defensive line to become a linebacker and mix up Utah's pass rush from a 3-3-5.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said it was no one-off: Orchard is this year's Reilly. He can rush the passer, he can play in coverage, and he can do everything in-between.
"He's always been a physical beast," said senior safety Brian Blechen. "And he's gotten even better, to the point where he's a nightmare for tackles. But the last couple of years, I think he's gotten a lot smarter, just football-wise. He knows his job. He knows what the rest of his D-line is doing, and he knows what the secondary's doing now."
Blechen said Orchard's intelligence allows him to selectively deviate from the game plan, and he can identify the quarterback's likely passing lanes and adjust his angle to clog them up. "He's like a big DB, basically, playing down on the line."
Orchard was an all-state receiver at Highland, so it probably comes as little surprise to anybody who remembers his sterling prep career that he fares better than your average defensive lineman as a linebacker in coverage. Reilly said the biggest step for Orchard has been his improvement as an edge run stopper.
Orchard agrees. And there's no easy way to do that, he said. It hasn't come overnight.
"You just have to be committed to wanting to do it, and know that people are watching you and doubting you. So you want to show that those doubters are wrong."
Orchard thinks he's probably faster than Reilly, but said he's still working to match Reilly's knowledge of the system and versatility.
He entered this season with 6.5 sacks against Reilly's 20, but he's not worried that he needs an astronomical number this season to join his former teammate in the NFL. After all, his nine career sacks don't tell the whole story — he has 20.5 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and five recoveries.
The stat he's looking for is six wins.
"We're sick of losing and not being able to go to a bowl game," he said. "It's frustrating. We put in so much hard work that at the end of the year you want it to all pay off by going to a bowl game — any bowl game."
And that — a focus on the result — is part of playing the Trevor Reilly role, because teams will now try to go where Nate Orchard isn't.
"It's not always about making plays as much," Reilly said. If teams are game planning around you, they're not in their comfort zone.
Plus, even if everything's moving away from him, Orchard can still lead. He knows his teammates view him as a role model, he said, and he's committed himself to being worthy of their respect.
All without getting too serious. After all, how could this year's Trevor Reilly be too serious?
When Whittingham unveiled a new white helmet this week, it was Orchard he called upon to pretend to be late to the team meeting due to a photo shoot, prompting Whittingham to deadpan, "Great example."
Nate Orchard file
Measurables • 6-foot-4, 255 pounds
Hometown • Salt Lake City (Highland High)
Prep • First-team all-state receiver in 2010 led Highland to 4A title, with 200 yards receiving, three touchdowns and two sacks. Was also Highland's captain in basketball and a 4.0 honor roll student.
At Utah • Played in every game since his freshman season, totaling 116 tackles, nine sacks, 20.5 tackles for losses, five force fumbls and five recoveries. —
Utah at Michigan
P Saturday, Sept. 20, 1:30 p.m.
TV • Ch. 4 or ESPN2