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Going into an enemy stadium sets off a special kind of chill.
The thrill Brian Blechen gets from being in a stadium packed with fans rooting against him is why he says being the road team isn't nerve-wracking — it's fun.
"Just knowing as much as we want to protect our house, they want to do the same," he said. "It's fun to see all their colors up in the stands and come away with the victory. Just that challenge is exciting to me."
Blechen smiled: "I like coming in and being the bad guy."
The Utes (2-0) will try to play the villain Saturday as they head to Michigan (2-1) and the largest stadium in college football. Although the embattled Wolverines have had struggles this year, they are nonetheless a tough foe when they play in front of capacity crowds of more than 109,000 fans.
Coach Brady Hoke has drawn criticism from the Maize and Blue faithful recently, even drawing boos last week as Michigan went to the locker room with a mere 17-10 lead over woeful Miami of Ohio. But he's a perfect 11-0 against nonconference opponents at home as head coach, and the Wolverines have won 20 straight September home games.
Surely Utah fans will call upon the memory of the program's last game at Michigan Stadium, a 25-23 triumph that served as a springboard to an undefeated 2008 season.
But the hard truth is recently, Utah hasn't donned its road warrior role very well: The Utes are 1-8 in the last two seasons outside the borders of the state. The team can also recite some of those disappointments readily, particularly Washington State last year.
"Obviously we learned a lot of lessons from all the away games we lost," Travis Wilson said. "They were games when we didn't come out fast, we didn't come out prepared. But I think we've done a great job of handling everything, and this season we'll be just fine going out on the road."
Coach Kyle Whittingham said the Utes will fly out to Michigan on Thursday, giving the team an extra day of preparation on location. He acknowledged the game has been generating excitement among the players — the chance to beat college football's winningest team doesn't come along every day — but the Utes are striving to settle any butterflies long before the opening kickoff.
"Once we get out there, the extra day I think will help us get our nerves settled and whatnot," Blechen said. "Come game-time on Saturday, their sidelines are just as far apart as any other field. Once the game comes, you just gotta put aside the crowd."
From a scheme point of view, Utah will look to limit Michigan's run game, which rang up 276 yards on the Redhawks last week. Running back Derrick Green gained momentum throughout the course of the game, finishing with two touchdowns.
With a sloppy debut against Idaho State, Utah's run defense rebounded well against Fresno State by allowing only 55 yards. The Utes will be without injured linebacker Jason Whittingham, who is expected to miss about two months, but hopes to fill the void with newly healthy backer Gionni Paul and captain Nate Orchard playing out of his usual spot on defensive line.
Kyle Whittingham said Michigan used more power run sets against Miami, which could translate into the Utes playing more men in the box.
"For me, watching their film, seeing how they can pound it, it's exciting for me because I love to hit," Blechen said. "It's an exciting challenge to get in the box a bit more."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Utah at Michigan
P Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
TV • Ch. 4 or ESPN2