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NFL could come calling, but Utah safety Chase Hansen’s not thinking about it yet

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Isaiah Oliver (26) breaks up a pass intended for Utah Utes wide receiver Raeloe Singleton (11) in PAC-12 football action Utah Utes vs.Colorado Buffaloes at Rice-Eccles stadium, Saturday, November 25, 2017.

Chase Hansen has felt the wrath of life as a starting strong safety.

He’s inflicted pain on some highlight-reel hits across the middle of the field, but with that aggressive, hard-hitting persona he’s developed for himself, Utah’s starting redshirt junior safety has found himself injured quite often in 2017.

He wasn’t about to miss the regular-season finale at Rice-Eccles Stadium, not with a bowl berth on the line for the Utes on Saturday night against Colorado. Hansen returned from missing the last two games — losses at home to Washington State and at Washington — to the starting lineup. Hansen, who has been dealing with an unspecific injury the last few weeks, was close to being cleared last week in Seattle, Wash., but wasn’t able to go.

“Every week I’m preparing like I’m going to play,” Hansen said earlier in the week. “Whatever the doctor say goes, but we’ll see.”

Hansen finally got the green light. Entering the game against the Buffaloes, Hansen ranked fourth on the team in total tackles with 45, despite missing three games.

Depending on Utah’s potential bowl eligibility, could Saturday evening be his last game in a Utah uniform?

Hansen is 24, and turns 25 next May. If he wants to take a shot at the NFL, the clock is certainly against him already.

Does the possibility that 2017 could be it for Hansen at Utah ever cross his mind?

“No, I’ve tried not to think about that,” he said earlier in the week. “Just one game at a time. I think it is for every junior, and every senior. You try not to think about the timeline, you just think about one game at a time. We’ve got a lot of seniors who I’m excited to go play with for the last time and hope to be out there with them.”

Injury report

Starting quarterback Tyler Huntley did not start in the regular-season finale. Instead, it was senior team captain Troy Williams. Huntley dressed and went through warmups, but did start due to an unspecified injury.

Senior defensive end Kyle Fitts was unable to play on Senior Night. Fitts was one of the 22 seniors recognized in a pre-game ceremony, but is still dealing with an unspecified injury suffered in the loss to Washington State. Also out against the Buffaloes was true freshman cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who left late in the fourth quarter of the loss at Washington last weekend.

It could be ... Shreveport?

The only bowl representative in attendance for Saturday’s Utah-Colorado game? The Walk On’s Independence Bowl, which is scheduled to be played in Shreveport, La., on Wednesday, Dec. 27, at 10:30 a.m. (MST).

Flashing ‘the U’

Utah donned specialty helmets against the Buffaloes. Each helmet was hand-painted and individually numbered, depicting two hands “flashing the U” on the back of each. The hands were shown in the gloves worn by the Utes in 2017.