This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Standing in the middle of Soldier Hollow Golf Course in mid-July, Demario Warren interrupted his own conversation and turned to another member of the foursome. He wanted to confirm that his Southern Utah football team's visits to Utah and BYU in 2016 would be first-time meetings in each case.

"Saved 'em for you," I said.

Warren's response was somewhere between smiling and cringing. His head coaching debut will come Thursday at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The biggest problem with the Thunderbirds' 250-mile trip from Cedar City is that Miles Killebrew, LeShaun Sims and James Cowser are not boarding the bus.

They're in NFL camps, after making SUU's program the most productive stop in the state for pro scouts in 2015. And those guys would have made Thursday's game a lot more interesting.

Last September in Logan, SUU's defense — coordinated by Warren, working for former coach Ed Lamb — held Utah State's Chuckie Keeton to 16-of-33 passing for 110 yards. The Aggies needed an 88-yard punt return for the winning touchdown in a 12-9 victory.

Keeton was never himself again after missing most of two seasons with knee injuries, so I won't exaggerate this point. I'll just say that whatever numbers quarterback Troy Williams produces in his first start for the Utes would have been further validated by facing two defensive backs who were drafted in the first five rounds (Killebrew by Detroit and Sims by Tennessee) and a defensive end (Cowser) who quickly signed as a free agent with Oakland.

"You never know; they might have some guys that get drafted this year," said Ute receiver Tim Patrick.

Such a convergence of talent may never occur again in Cedar City, though. The Utes will catch a much different version of the SUU defense than the 2015 group, which is good for Williams and his receivers and poorly timed for Warren, who's biting into an ambitious nonconference schedule as he takes over the T-birds at age 31.

Opening the season with SUU as opposed to Michigan last year with considerable national interest creates "a little different feel, there's no getting around that," Ute coach Kyle Whittingham said Monday.

Yet the Utes are eager to see if their passing game shows improvement, regardless of the opponent. "In practice, we're there," Whittingham said. "But that's just practice."

As happened last September, Utah is facing a coach who's new to his job. I'm guessing the difference is that unlike the case of Jim Harbaugh, the Utes are not tired of hearing about Demario Warren. He could become a star in the profession, but only after overcoming a rough start Thursday.

Utah's opener is not quite like USC vs. Alabama or UCLA vs. Texas A&M. Just enough examples exist of Big Sky Conference teams competing favorably with the Pac-12 to make these games worthwhile, though. They're not going away. The side effect of a nine-game conference schedule that leaves three openings is one of those dates is likely filled by an FCS opponent. So seven Pac-12 teams are facing Big Sky schools (another will meet Grambling State) this year. USC and UCLA have never played FCS teams and Cal and Stanford are skipping them in 2016. Otherwise, it is standard practice.

Utah already is booked to play a Big Sky team in all but one season through 2022. Why? There's enough demand for season tickets, regardless of nonconference opponents, and (almost) everybody else in the league is doing it. The positive trend is that except for North Dakota next year, Utah is scheduling Weber State, Idaho State and SUU to create some degree of local interest.

The Big Sky has posted an upset of the Pac-12 in four of the previous five seasons. It won't happen in Salt Lake City, but the T-Birds will get to play in a big-time venue in front of several NFL scouts, who usually attend the Utes' weeknight opener. Thursday's game will be a showcase for SUU defensive tackle Chance Bearnson, linebacker Mike Needham and punter Tate Lewis.

If the 6-foot-6 Lewis makes the NFL, he'll become the tallest punter in league history. And someday, he may thank the Ute defense for giving him a lot of opportunities to perform.

Twitter: @tribkurt —

Utah vs. the Big Sky

Utah's wins as a Pac-12 member vs. Big Sky Conference schools:

Year Opponent Score

2011 Montana State 27-10

2012 N. Colorado 41-0

2013 Weber State 70-7

2014 Idaho State 56-14