Morgan Scalley isn’t one for nostalgia — even when he’s been at a place for 28 years.

Utah’s new head coach will coach his second official game as the program’s leader Thursday when the No. 21 Utes open the season against Idaho. He already captured his first win after Utah defeated Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl last season.

Now, he’ll have a chance at another first: winning a home game at Rice-Eccles Stadium as Utah’s head coach.

“I just [take it] day to day,” Scalley said. “Obviously, Utah means a lot to me. The program means a lot to me, and I’ve had unbelievable coaches to learn from on my way up, and very blessed that way to have learned from some really good minds, really good leaders.

“But this is not a Morgan Scalley deal. This is a University of Utah deal.”

Of course, Scalley wants to win every single game. He has dreams of taking Utah to a Big 12 Championship, the College Football Playoff and beyond. He’s inheriting a team that went 11-2 last season — minus a few key playmakers that left for other places — so there’s a reason for optimism among Ute fans.

Utah retained star quarterback Devon Dampier and budding star backup Byrd Ficklin. Scalley has his own staff in place, led by offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven and defensive coordinator Colton Swan.

He gave them most, if not all, of the credit.

“It takes a village,” he said. “We’ve got unbelievable people. We expect to do good things.

“I don’t look at this as ‘oh, hey, Morgan Scalley,’ and people ask, ‘What do you want your legacy to be?’ Brother, I just focus on today.”

So what should Utah fans expect after a long offseason, the normal churn of the NCAA transfer portal and Scalley’s first fall camp under his belt?

He thinks his team has a few key strengths heading into the season.

“I don’t know that I’ve seen the depth on the offensive side of the ball that we have right now,” Scalley said. “What you can’t do is try and get too cute with it. You really have to hone in on ‘OK, who are the top playmakers and who are going to be role players.’

“So the trick is being able to do the same thing in different personnel groups.”

What about the defense, which has been dinged up with a few injuries on the front?

“There’s a chip on everyone’s shoulder about the run game with how we ended it last year,” Scalley said. “It’s been a pretty physical spring and fall camp for us, which is why I think you see some of the injuries. But thankfully, nothing season-ending.”

There will be some emotions felt by the team, too.

Hitting your teammates over and over again — for a period of four to five weeks — can get pretty tiring.

“Definitely a sense of excitement,” Scalley said. “We’re in a good, healthy mix of that right now; we just want to get out there and play.”

Scalley doesn’t expect to have many emotions, either.

No crying this time, he said, unlike at his introductory press conference, where the tears were flowing.

“I don’t plan on it being too much different,” he said. “Unless something horrible happens, we don’t need that, knock on wood.”

There is one emotion he will reveal — and you can guess it based on what he said, and has been saying, since taking the job in January.

“I’m excited for our players,” Scalley said with a big grin. “Like I said, a really good group of leaders that hold each other accountable, which is an awesome thing to see.”