Pac-12 Announces Early Kickoff Times For Utah Football
May 27, 2021, 1:23 PM | Updated: May 28, 2021, 11:16 am
(Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Pac-12 Conference has announced the early kickoff times for the upcoming 2021 Pac-12 football schedule.
Utah Football begins its Pac-12 slate with a home encounter with Washington State before going on the road to take on the USC Trojans in week two. The third week does not get any easier for the Utes who host a Pac-12 South contender in Arizona State.
- September 2 vs Weber State will kickoff at TBD at Rice Eccles Stadium on Pac-12 Networks.
- September 11 vs BYU will kickoff at 8:15 p.m. at Lavell Edwards Stadium on ESPN.
- September 18 vs San Diego State will kickoff at 5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
In addition, the Pac-12 announced select kickoff times for conference games-
- November 5 at Stanford will kickoff at 8:30 p.m. on FS1.
- USC and Colorado games will be on either FOX or FS1 but kickoff times are yet to be announced.
This Fall, @Rice_Eccles will be 51,444 strong.
We can’t wait to welcome you all home on September 2nd. #GoUtes
Read: https://t.co/P7GL28PNbT pic.twitter.com/LGfzJYZmQJ
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) May 27, 2021
Utah Football is looking to return to the Pac-12 Championship Game after a 2020 campaign that saw the Utes conclude with a 3-2 record, despite starting the season 0-2.
The momentum grew for Utah as the 2020 season advanced with three consecutive victories against Oregon State, Colorado, and Washington State rounding out their pandemic-interrupted year.
2021 Utah Football Roster Updates
In 2021, Utah returns a number of key playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, Nick Ford, Orlando Umana, and Keaton Bills headline the offensive line. Utah added a pair of transfers in TJ Pledger and Chris Curry to accompany Micah Bernard in the backfield and return Britain Covey, Brant Kuithe, Solomon Enis, and Jaylen Dixon as pass catchers. Theo Howard, who began his career at UCLA before transferring to Oklahoma State and now Utah, will also play a pivotal role on the outside for the Utes.
Charlie Brewer is expected to start at the quarterback position, but Cam Rising, who enters 2021 after winning the job in 2020 but suffering a season-ending injury, will challenge Brewer for the role in fall camp.
Defensively, linebacker Devin Lloyd enters the 2021 season as one of the premier defenders in the Pac-12 and country. He is joined by Nephi Sewell who ended 2020 with 27 tackles and two interceptions. Utah added Josh Calvert, a transfer from Washington, to its linebacker room to add further depth and competition.
Clark Phillips III is the lockdown corner who will be tasked with many challenging opponents throughout 2021. As is often the case up on the hill, Utah is stacked at both the defensive tackle and defensive end positions.
Utah will begin its season with three non-conference games against Weber State, BYU, and San Diego State respectively.