This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Las Vegas • At the time junior defensive end Hunter Dimick sustained a shoulder injury against USC, the Utes were 6-0, ranked No. 3 in the AP poll. Little more than a month later, they'd lost three times, Dimick's lone contribution a small cameo in the finale.
Utah, healthy as it was when it beat Oregon by 42 points in Eugene, was a force to be reckoned with, but a spate of injuries tied its proverbial hand tied behind its back.
And in Dimick's case, that's literally how it felt.
"I just couldn't pick my arm up or use it, so, obviously you need two arms," he said Wednesday from Bishop Gorman High School, where Utah is preparing to face BYU in Saturday's Las Vegas Bowl. "It took a little bit longer than I was anticipating, unfortunately, but it's good to go now."
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham had said that his team had fewer injuries than usual through fall camp and midseason. Later he'd say that injuries were no excuse, and that every team in the nation experienced them. But he admitted Wednesday that during the second half of the season, "it seems like every week there was two or three more guys that were not going to be available."
At least, he said, his players are well-versed in the necessity of a "next man up" mentality, even if the starters might have benefited from another week or two to recover with a later bowl draw.
True freshman Britain Covey, named Wednesday by the Sporting News as a freshman All-American punt returner and Utah's leading receiver with 41 catches for 518 yards, said he'll suit up, but "it's up to the coaches" whether he plays through the ankle injury he sustained against UCLA.
Maybe "I'm not going to be as effective because of it, and they'll put someone else in, which is what you should do," he said.
Senior wideout Kenneth Scott, Utah's second-leading receiver with 38 receptions for 448 yards, said it will be a "game-time decision" whether he plays after injuring his foot on a deep pass down the sidelines against Colorado.
"I want to be out there for my team and help out any way I can," Scott said.
Dimick thinks Utah is capable of a return to its early season form after three weeks to heal.
"We don't get that afforded during the regular season. The team looks as healthy as it did at the start of the year."
And helping kill any remaining pain will be the excitement of playing rival BYU, said the Syracuse native, who has been texting trash talk with a friend on BYU's staff.
"He's something over there, I don't even care enough to go into detail with him," he laughed.
They're just words, Dimick added with a smile. "Saturday, we're going to find out."
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Las Vegas Bowl
P Saturday, 1:30 p.m. MST
TV • Ch. 4