SALT LAKE CITY – It’s wasn’t prime time, but, loyal Ute fans flocked to sports bars to see their team beat the West Virginia in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
One man watching the game at Big Willies in downtown Salt Lake said he’s happy the Utes went bowling this year, but, “Obviously, when you play a bowl game at 11:30 on a Tuesday, it means your record isn’t all that great.”
University of Utah fans were confident about the bowl game before it started. Former Utah Special Teams player Shane Larsen said the Utes were going to “spank these fools.” He’s one of several fans at the sports bar who were disappointed in the season, overall. Larsen says, “It’s a tough one. We’re heartbreakers. We win games we should lose and we lose and we lose games we have in our hands. It usually comes around to the offense. We’re in the Pac 12 and things are tougher, but, the nice thing is that it’s fun.”
At the same time, he says he’s bullish on next season. Larsen says, “We just have a little bit to take care of and we’re right there in the mix. We always are.”
Fans know what they would like to improve. Some say they’d like to see better pass coverage, others say they’d like to see the run game get better. One tells KSL, “The quarterback position was frustrating to me, this year. It seems like we get someone in there, they do well, and we pull them out.”
However, they say QB Tyler Huntley is showing signs of improving and that crucial players are going to return next year.