This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

Before the Utes' magical, meteoric season started, John Pease looked around at his team and realized something ahead of anyone else. The veteran defensive coordinator who had ventured through nearly a half-century of coaching football and evaluating and teaching players knew exactly on what Utah's success would hang.

It wasn't talent or personnel or muscle or might or conditioning or technique or diligence or toughness. All of that already was accounted for: "We're pretty damn good," he said.

Instead, it was the other stuff … character and camaraderie, focus and teamwork. It was a collective frame of mind: "It doesn't depend on what Kyle Whittingham or John Pease wants or says. It's how important this is to them. They have to make it their team. If these guys can become accountable to themselves and each other, then we'll be in business. … That's what great teams do. It's what they are. It's about them. It is them. They take care of each other," he said.

He paused, and, for emphasis, added: "They come together, they work together, day after day after day. They take over and make it theirs."

A third of the way through the season, that's what Utah coaches are counting on, that's what Utah players are doing — taking possession, taking what's theirs. It's what they have to do from here on out.

They've already proved they have talent and technique and toughness. Any team that can go into Autzen Stadium and beat Oregon by 42 points has that covered. Now, they must stay together, stay focused, and rely on one another to hack their way, game by game, through a Pac-12 schedule that will punish them for anything less.

Senior receiver Kenneth Scott said in the run-up to Saturday night's game against Cal that he believes his teammates understand their place and what it will take to get the prize they're after.

"As long as we focus on what we've got to do, then [the] rankings will be what they are. We just have to focus on winning. … It's about remaining humble and working hard and knowing that the hay's not in the barn. We've got to make sure we keep doing what we're doing. All we can do is control what we do on Saturdays and make sure we execute and everything's efficient so that we keep on winning. … You've got to find a balance and keep an even keel and remain humble and work on every little thing to perfect the craft."

Asked about Utah's remarkable win in Eugene, the team captain said: "It was cool, but it's not going to mean anything unless we come out and do the same thing to Cal. As far as [Oregon] goes, that's in the past. The team's just making sure that we're dialed in and not get too high up on ourselves, thinking that our stuff doesn't stink. Just keep working.

"Everybody's self-motivated, to be honest. Everybody knows how great this team can be. So everybody's already juiced up and excited every time we come out to practice. You don't have too many opportunities in this college career. So we're just trying to make the most out of everything. That's what we're doing every day."

That's why the Utes are 4-0 and ranked fifth in the country.

But everything is transitory. All of the Utes' success could flip on Saturday and/or the following Saturday and/or the Saturday after that. As they continue to win, if they win, the stakes will raise and the pressure will grow.

Coach and player talked about mental and physical preparation, teammates working in concert to hold, as Scott said, that keel even and concentrating on rock-steady improvement. That's what Utah needs, no matter its ranking or its national acclaim to date. The hay's not in the barn … not last week, not this week, not until the leaves are off the trees, the temperatures drop, the flurries fall and the games and the harvesting and the winning are done.

The Utes are pretty good right now. They might be great some day.

They seem to know this.

So far, this whole thing has been important to them. They've been accountable to themselves, they've taken care of each other, and they've made this team theirs. That's why they're in business. Like Pease said it, that's what great teams do.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM The Zone. Twitter: @GordonMonson.