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Whether or not he has finally solved the Arizona State defense, Travis Wilson will end his Saturday night by hugging his parents, walking to where they're parked and catching a ride to his own car.

They'll see he's exhausted. They'll give him some space. But they'll talk to him about his performance, as will people everywhere he goes in the week to come.

Wilson is grateful for conversations with his parents and well-wishers he meets on campus. Less so for those he has with media. When he can't duck past the throng after practice — at 6-foot-7, he's an unlikely but capable escape artist — he seems to assess questions as he would a defensive front, seeking in each some looming menace.

To the reporters who want most desperately to understand him, Wilson is least himself.

"He knows the more personal things people know about you, the more they'll try to use that against you," said senior wideout Kenneth Scott, in whom Wilson confided during the months that followed ASU's last visit to Salt Lake City, in November 2013.

Then, of course, Wilson sustained a concussion that led doctors to find an enlarged artery in his brain. They told him he may never be able to safely play again. Earlier that season, lifelong best friend Nick Pasquale died when he was hit by a car.

Scott not only consoled Wilson, he checked in with Wilson's parents, who attend every game despite living in San Clemente, Calif., to get "the low-down scoop" on his emotional well-being. He prepared Wilson for the best and the worst: a life with, and a life without, football.

It helped that they lived in the same apartment complex. Wilson would swing by to visit Scott's dogs. Scott would make an exception to his natural disinclination and befriend Wilson's new cat, which he'd named Nicholas.

To this day, as Wilson tells media with a faraway look that he needs to improve, the man who caught Wilson's first pass — an 11-yard in-route against Northern Colorado — and his first touchdown — a 28-yard flea flicker at Utah State — is his most vocal proponent.

They text regularly, and Scott said he wrote to Wilson on Sunday: "I hope you know how great of a quarterback you are and that everybody admires your toughness and grit out there. Cheers to a great week this week."

Wilson responded: "Thanks bro, I really appreciate it," followed by the string of emojis that is their custom.

Ranked No. 8 nationally in ESPN's Total QBR rating — even after two interceptions against Cal — Wilson has improved each year, say coaches and teammates. From 2013 to 2014, he went from one interception every 15 attempts to one per 63. And since reclaiming his starting job when Kendal Thompson tore his ACL against Oregon last November, Wilson is 8-1.

You already knew that, if you cared to. The many things that are less apparent about Wilson, teammates said, include his dry wit and his goofiness.

"He laughs at his own jokes," said true freshman Britain Covey. "He's always in the locker room watching funny videos, just laughing to himself."

Wilson talks the type of trash that you can't print. The next play after Wilson was jeered by Utah defenders at one practice this spring, he ran out of bounds past the marker pointing, "First down," you-can-guess-whats.

He's surprisingly imposing. Having seen him on TV, Covey expected Wilson to be "lurpy," but when his sinewy limbs aren't drawn taut by his momentum, you begin to appreciate why he might be sixth among FBS quarterbacks in third-down rushing yards, at 109: He is a powerfully built man.

And as fearless as he can be in vaulting piles, blindsiding Cal defenders or riding pillion from practice on a moped driven by Utah's special-teamers, he is as much a softy when he's around children.

Wilson said he particularly relishes working youth football camps, and after a recent interview, he turned to a group of waist-high autograph-seekers and dropped his guard, asking, "What's up?"

Kids appreciate him, he said. That can be hard to come by for a Division I quarterback. Least impressed of all, say those who know him, is Wilson.

"When the team wins, it's what his teammates did," said San Clemente High coach Jaime Ortiz. "When the team loses, he takes it on himself."

Wilson didn't have a redshirt year to ease his transition, nor did he once have the same offensive coordinator as the year before. His wideouts have been inconsistent, or injured, or both. Forty-eight hours after he learned that he would be able to play football again, he then learned that Thompson would transfer from Oklahoma to steal his starting job.

And the next time Utah's offense doesn't look rudderless against ASU under his leadership? That will be the first.

But then, Wilson's next touchdown pass will tie him with Alex Smith for fourth in school history, at 47.

And should he manage to win seven more times — it would take a perfect finish, or wins in the Pac-12 Championship, bowl game or College Football Playoff — he would become the winningest quarterback in Utah history.

Scott glows at the prospect.

"When Travis is all said and done, I want people to remember him as a great quarterback."

Another little-known fact, Scott believes: He is one.

mpiper@sltrib.com Twitter: @matthew_piper —

Arizona State at No. 4 Utah

P At Rice-Eccles Stadium

Kickoff • Saturday, 8:15 p.m.

TV • ESPN.

Radio • 700 AM

Series history • ASU leads 20-6

Last meeting • Nov. 1, 2014 in Tempe, Ariz.; ASU 19, Utah 16 (OT)

About the Utes • Utah hasn't beaten ASU since 1976, but it has also never been ranked so high in the regular season. Utah ranks first in the nation in average turnover margin, at two more per game than its opponents. Running back Devontae Booker leads the nation with 28 carries per game, totaling 665 yards and six touchdowns, and he's Utah's leading receiver with 19 catches for 194 yards.

About the Sun Devils • Todd Graham has had Utah's number for three straight seasons, holding the Utes to less than 250 total yards every time he's faced them as ASU's coach. ASU ranks fourth in the nation in tackles for loss, at 56. Offensively, ASU is led by senior quarterback Mike Bercovici, who threw five touchdown passes in last week's win over Colorado, and sophomore tailback Demario Richard, who is expected to play despite being limited by a knee injury in practice. —

Travis Wilson

Before Utah • A running back and linebacker before a growth spurt during middle school, San Clemente native led hometown high school to a 21-5 record in two seasons as starting quarterback, finishing the 2011 season ranked No. 17 in the nation. Also a standout volleyball player.

At Utah • Wilson played in all 12 games as a true freshman, finishing the year as a starter due to injuries. He led Utah to wins over BYU and No. 5 Stanford as a sophomore in 2013, but injured his hand against Stanford and was shut down for the season after an intracranial artery condition was discovered during condition testing in early November. As a junior, Wilson seesawed with Oklahoma transfer Kendal Thompson before finishing the season on a strong note and winning Las Vegas Bowl MVP, while cutting his interceptions from 16 to five. In three-and-a-half games this year — he sprained his shoulder in the second quarter against Utah State and was sidelined against Fresno State — Wilson is completing 66 percent of his passes for 683 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing 35 times for 249 yards and three scores.