Less than a week from kick off...
- The Salt Lake Tribune talks about how Poston will finally have his moment to lead the Utes.
On top of everything else, Poston is getting his shot against the rival he never knew. He had hoped to meet the Bruins during his freshman season at USC, but pushed too hard, too soon, in recovering from a knee injury, and wound up missing the rivalry game
He knows the rivalry, though.
"I still have those feelings, like, beat UCLA," he said. "It was just like here initially. I was like, why do people hate BYU so much? And then as time goes on, you kind of realize - you kind of meet some of the alums and some of the people who are affiliated with BYU - and you kind of understand it, same as UCLA. Just being around UCLA individuals and all that, and you see people driving around there you just kind of get a feel for the whole rivalry and stuff like that. And you know? That still hasn't left me."
- The Deseret Morning News has an article on how UCLA's O-line will do its job at protecting QB Ben Olson during the Utah game and what Utah plans to do about it.
"We feel like we've got a physical defensive line that can match up well with the physicality of what they're going to bring to the table offensively," Whittingham said. "You can't let the quarterback sit back there and get comfortable. That's a situation that's a recipe for disaster."
Talavou, who expects Olson to stay in the pocket most of the time, said the UCLA quarterback's inexperience doesn't really change anything.
"Their offensive line is pretty good," Talavou said. "So it'll be a good battle between us and them."
- The LA Times talks about how UCLA is preparing for Utah's blitzing defense. (Registration required, use Bug Me Not for a free password.
"We have a lot of respect for their defense," said Olson, who will start his first game at quarterback since his senior season at Thousand Oaks High in 2001. "They do a lot of good things and bring a lot of pressure. We have to make sure that we take advantage of any opportunities that we get to move the ball against them."
- The University of Utah has released a preview of the UCLA game (pdf file).