School starts for my kids this week. Between trying to get all the last minute stuff finished before they go back. Not to mention get stuff together for the quick trip to NYC, it’s been a little hectic.

Today has the first set of game notes for the season (PDF), along with the 2-deep. was the first pre-game presser for Coach Wannstedt. Not sure that anything truly ground-breaking was revealed. It was normal stuff, but still fun to comb through.

Let’s do this.

“We are excited about this week. The game won’t get here soon enough. Any time I think it’s the opening game, it always carries a lot of end-of-camp, beginning-of-season attitude and there’s that dead time in between when you’re practicing and it’s almost like a bowl game mentality.”

Oh, hell yeah. You and everyone else.

“I think that we have a solid core. We all know that this is the youngest team that we’ve had since I’ve been here. By youngest I mean that we have two scholarship seniors starting on offense in Jason Pinkston and Alex Karabin. We have the two senior defensive ends (Romeus and Sheard), plus Dom DeCicco and Ricky Gary. (Six) starting scholarship seniors, that’s it.

You are still banging that Big East Media Day talking point? Really? I can’t do it.

On the offense, starting  there are 3 redshirt juniors (Chris Jacobson, Greg Gaskins and Henry Hynoski). Not to mention two other juniors in Jon Baldwin and Lucas Nix.

For the defense there are 4 redshirt juniors (Chas Alecxih, Myles Caragein, Max Gruder, Tristan Roberts/Greg Williams) plus junior Antwuan Reed.

That’s 7 starters on offense and 9 starters on defense that are juniors or seniors. That’s not a youth-filled group. Please, never speak of that again.

“It’s one of those games where one turnover might mean the difference in the game, a bad decision in the kicking game might mean the decision of the game or where a broken coverage for a touchdown might make the decision of the game. There’s less room for error when you’re playing a very good, ranked football team at home as compared to an opponent that you can maybe make a mistake, and you’re strong enough in your talent to overcome.

“We’ve been talking all week about playing clean out there. We’ve had noise pumped in, we’ve tried to do everything to create an atmosphere to put our players in so that they’re able to keep their focus and play a clean game. We’ll see.”

Ah. Back to the standards The classics never get old.

“When we were at the Dolphins, they used to go out a couple of days early. Everyplace I’ve coached for 16 years (in the NFL), we’ve gone out the day before, lined-up and played. I think that all the studies from the Olympic athletes will tell you, that if you want to try to make a total adjustment, you have to be out there for three days, it takes 72 hours. So even going out that extra day, which some of the NFL teams do, doesn’t really do anything. You go out, you line up and play. Fortunately we’re fairly healthy, so we’ll be able to play guys.”

Ooh. A change-up. Usually he references Miami Hurricanes when speaking of the past. A slight curve with Miami Dolphins.

So, who has been playing the part of Utah QBs to get ready against the spread?

“Todd Thomas was down here this week and he gave me a great picture. We used him as a Wildcat quarterback. We used him as a running back and he’s an example of a kid that allowed us to make our defense better. With Anthony Gonzalez being a quarterback who is also a good athlete, he can give us a good picture doing that. Those young guys have done a great job getting us prepared.”

And how do you feel about the spread versus your style?

“I think that we can recruit players. We know what we’re doing from a technical standpoint and scheme standpoint, and we believe in it. I think that we can recruit players here to fill those roles. If you couldn’t get good backs here, if you couldn’t get quarterbacks that could throw the ball, then you do what they do in high school by moving your best athlete there and running the spread.

“These guys do it a little bit different from the standpoint that their quarterback really doesn’t carry the ball that much. They’re a shot down, sprint team, but it’s the screens and it’s the read —  he’ll carry it, but they’re not a ‘Pat White spread’ team if that makes sense.”

And their defense?

“It’s different than our defense. They play a completely different coverage package than we do. So everything that our offense has been working on all spring and summer, playing our defense is completely different. They’ll pressure more than we do, so when you have the combination of different fronts, different coverages and the pressure package: that would be three things (that are different), which is a lot.”

Time for just a few more questions. What do you think the new Nike Pro Combat Heritage uniforms will look like? Did everyone get together to watch the Emmy’s last night? Do you think Mad Men is the best show on TV?

“The focus has really been on them. Our guys understand that when you play on national TV against a ranked team, your focus has to be there, you have to have a sense of urgency. We really haven’t talked about anything, to be honest with you, other than Utah”

Oh.