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Britain Covey may be a highly philosophical 18-year-old, but his source material is still what you'd expect for an 18-year old.
"You either learn from the past or run from the past," Covey said Monday, holding a straight face until he added, "Like Rafiki said, in 'Lion King.'"
Though coach Kyle Whittingham admitted Monday that his 8-2 Utes are "in nowhere near as good a position as we were last week," they also know that their fortunes could change within four hours Saturday.
At 1:30 p.m. on FOX, Utah hosts three-loss UCLA — which, like USC, would win the South via tiebreaker with victories in its final two games. Meanwhile, on ESPN, USC visits a resurgent Oregon after the Trojans were tested in consecutive weeks by Arizona and Colorado.
A Utah win and a USC loss would put the Utes right back in the driver's seat.
So, what lessons does their past hold?
Against Arizona, which had a 200-yard rusher in each of the previous three meetings, "it really came down to not having an answer for their quarterback," Whittingham said.
Sophomore Anu Solomon threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 86 and another score as Utah failed to corral him and lost individual battles against the Wildcat receivers.
UCLA's offense is comparable — ranked No. 17 in the nation, one spot behind Arizona, with 498 total yards per game — but with a balance tilted further toward the passing game.
That said, the Bruins have no weak links on that side of the ball, Whittingham said.
Their offensive line is "probably the most athletic offensive line that we've faced all year." True freshman quarterback Josh Rosen is "really good." Senior running back Paul Perkins is "terrific." And in the receiving corps, "they've got weapons all over the place," he said, singling out senior Jordan Payton and junior Thomas Duarte.
Whittingham said he expects Utah junior cornerback Reginald Porter and junior defensive end Hunter Dimick to receive limited reps in practice this week after staying home last weekend. Sophomore defensive end Filipo Mokofisi also remains atop the depth chart after traveling but sitting out in Tucson
"If, in fact, we're able to get those guys back, that'll be a huge plus for us," Whittingham said.
Asked if he faulted overpursuit of his pass-rushers or Utah's coverage, Whittingham said he didn't. The problem with containing Solomon was Solomon. The problem with covering Arizona's receivers was Arizona's receivers.
"They were just doing a good job of making plays," he said. "It wasn't like we were blowing coverages, or we had bad technique, or any of that stuff."
Said Covey: "Football is a game where five plays can determine the outcome of the game. … You go back and look at it, they've made the majority of those plays. The fumble. The PI that was called on us and [Harrison Handley] on the third-down conversion. Things like that, you just gotta make those plays. You never know when they're gonna be, but you just gotta make 'em."
Whether or not there's anything to learn from that: If Utah doesn't make those plays this Saturday or the next, its conference title hopes are kaput.
And then, as Rafiki would say, that won't matter, either. They'll be in the past.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
UCLA at No. 18 Utah
P Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
TV • FOX