Like a ton of others, I was at the game. The weather wasn’t the worst, but was pretty continuous, and after a while it was a “cumulative cold” and rain drops were coming off guys facemasks, etc.
In the post-game interviews, Riley & Scott Mitchell asked every player how much weather played a role.
To a man, every player said it really wasn’t a factor. They knew it going to be rainy, they were prepared… no big deal. They weren’t “say this to the media” answers, that’s what they believed, that was their immediate, unscripted response.
In other words, “culture”
Jonah Elliss had the best answer - “we love it when it’s going to be rainy or snowy, we get amped up! Those guys are from Arizona where there’s not a lot of rain, so we were ready to jump on it!”
The “we have an advantage” mindset is about the psychology of competition. The “it doesn’t matter, we’ve prepared” answer is about toughness & players having faith in their coaching.
In the Utah football culture, the mindset takes on a different level, a different flavor.
Whit - “everyone has injuries and nobody cares”
I’m sure the story of Whit turning off the heaters at the Colorado State game has been passed down, just like Kenneth Scott marveling at how Whit still hits the stair climber, swims, hits the weights and rides bicycles everywhere.
“When I’m his age I’m going to be taking it easy, but that dude - he’s hard core!”
It all adds up.