UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 28, 2024

Utah Tech set to kick off the season vs. Sacramento State

Head coach Paul Peterson discusses the 2022 football season opener at a press conference on Aug. 30. Sophie Sparks | Sun News Daily

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The Utah Tech University football team will kick off its 2022 season on the road against Sacramento State Sept. 3. 

This will be the Trailblazers second time playing a ranked team in Utah Tech’s NCAA Division I FCS history. Sacramento State is ranked top 10 in the nation.

Head coach Paul Peterson said the Trailblazers will focus on taking over the football and the turnover margin. They will also strive to take the ball away more than give it away.

Although Utah Tech fell short against Sacramento State during its last matchup, the Trailblazers’ defense was able to keep the Big Sky defending champions to their lowest scoring game of the season.

“Sac State is a great opponent,” Peterson said. “I think we played well against them last year and had a good plan. We weren’t able to score as many points as we needed, but the guys have the excitement. It’s game week.”

Sacramento State has multiple athletes returning from their previous 9-3 season, but the Trailblazers are up to the task. Utah Tech has 67 athletes returning from last year’s roster including the 11 defensive starters and a similar amount on offense. 

Over the summer, Utah Tech was able to keep over 90 of the athletes for training due to the athletic department providing the athletes with scholarship money.  Doing so results in a more cohesive team, improvements on the field, and helps limit injuries, according to Peterson.

Peterson said the Trailblazers also had a successful fall camp with improvement made across the whole team.

“We’ve definitely added some depth on both sides of the ball,” Peterson said. “Our guys are that much older and further along developmental wise.”

Peterson said he is excited to see the steps you talked about with penalties, playing smart football, controlling the line of scrimmage, playing that field position game with the special team, and hitting yardage.

All in all, the Trailblazers have gone through the proper preparation to face Sacramento State and take the field as an official member of the WAC, being able to play five conference games rather than three last season. 

“They are pumped and ready to play,” Peterson said.

Stay up to date with the Utah Tech football team and all things athletics at https://utahtechtrailblazers.com.

The Trailblazers will have their home opener against Chadron State Sept 10.