For Utah football, Arizona game means a little bit more this year

The Utah football team is not only 4-0 on the season, but they’re 1-0 in the Big 12 and already seen as the odds-on favorite to win the conference. They now face off against a familiar foe in the Arizona Wildcats.

Winning the game is important enough. However, there are some Ute fans who believe this one might be a bit more special, especially for head coach Kyle Whittingham.

He might have let it slip a bit, but he knows what’s at stake. And that revenge is on the table as well after the Utah football team lost 42-18 to the Wildcats a year ago.

Both Whittingham and the rest of the team saw that blowout loss a disrespectful because of the way the Wildcats poured things on late. The Utes know it was their responsibility to stop Arizona, but that doesn’t mean they can’t take a little offense at what happened.

Utah football carries grudge against Arizona

“I guarantee Coach Whitt didn’t forget about that disrespect alo,” former Ute wide receiver Demari Simpkins wrote on Twitter earlier this week. Simpkins was speaking about the Arizona game, almost certainly.

Another fan agreed with Simpkins, posting audio of Whittingham addressing the media after Utah’s win over Oklahoma State. 

As the fan pointed out, Whittingham stopped himself just short of saying revenge. But it’s clear from the audio clip he’s got a chip on his shoulder.

Considering how the Utah football team has taken care of business this season, it sure seems as though Arizona better be on the lookout.