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Las Vegas
Utah quarterback Travis Wilson stood in the sunshine Wednesday afternoon, casually fielding the usual questions about the Las Vegas Bowl matchup with BYU, responding with his signature phrases of the past four seasons — a lot of "definitely" mixed with the occasional "obviously."
Wilson hardly looked or acted like someone with something to prove in his last college football game, but that's always the case with a quarterback. That's especially true of this QB, a player who started for most of four years in a rising program in the Pac-12, yet never fully satisfied folks who demand a lot from anyone in his position.
In so many ways, No. 7 is the guy with the most at stake in the Las Vegas Bowl. Never mind his previous 38 starts or his ownership of the most quarterbacking wins in school history (23). Wilson will be remembered for what happens Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Definitely, he has done enough good things for the program that he should be appreciated. Obviously, the outcome of the bowl game will create a lasting impression.
Asked how he hopes fans will perceive him, Wilson said, "I'm hoping they remember a resilient, tough athlete."
His coaches endorse those labels. "He's just a fighter," said Ute coach Kyle Whittingham.
"He'll fight and scratch, no matter what," said co-offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, the Utes' quarterbacks coach for two seasons. "Whether he's playing well, whether he's not playing well, whether the team around him's playing great or struggling, it doesn't matter."
Even so, one last performance will frame how Wilson is regarded as a Utah quarterback. In the past 40 years, the only Ute QBs to finish 2-0 vs. BYU are Mike McCoy (1993-94), Alex Smith (2003-04) and Jordan Wynn (2010-11). McCoy came through in each of the famous 34-31 games, but Smith's offense produced only three points in a snowstorm in 2003 and Wynn was benched temporarily in the third quarter of Utah's 2010 victory.
So Wilson is in position to complete one of the most impressive careers for a Ute QB in the rivalry, and some history works in his favor. In his only start in a Utah-BYU game as a sophomore, he completed 24 of 35 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-13 victory in Provo, becoming the Pac-12 offensive player of the week.
The rivalry is "definitely not like another game," he said after practice at Bishop Gorman High School. "There's some animosity with fans … and with players. It's a heated game, but it's definitely an enjoyable game."
The rest of his career has not always been that much fun, even amid memorable wins over Stanford, USC and Oregon. "Being a quarterback at this level is a heavy burden. … When we don't win or we don't play well, people are hard on the quarterback. I see it wearing on him," Roderick said. "I see him fight through it and just keep going. It's impressive. What he's done is just endured."
Wilson's perseverance is his hallmark. He has excelled as a runner, although he never quite developed into the kind of passer that characterizes Pac-12 football. Wilson will conclude the 2015 season with about the same statistics as last year, although Roderick said, "He absolutely improved."
As Utah's starting quarterback, Wilson went 14-15 in Pac-12 games — including 10-6 the past two seasons. In nonconference play, including the 2014 Las Vegas Bowl vs. Colorado State, he's 9-0. He would be 10-0, except he missed this year's game at Fresno State with a shoulder injury.
The Utes' shot at a 10th win this season comes Saturday, in a memorable way. As Whittingham pointed out, Utah's seniors figured the 2013 game was their last rivalry experience, until the Las Vegas Bowl pairing materialized.
In Wilson's case, that's a huge risk/reward opportunity. He definitely, and obviously, intends to make it pay off.
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Travis by the numbers
Travis Wilson's statistics of the past two seasons:
Year G Comp. Att. Pct. Yds. Int. TD
2014 13 190 313 60.7 2,170 5 18
2015 11 186 298 62.4 2,024 10 13