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Talk about adding insult to injury. No. The 7th-ranked Utah football program suffered a shocking loss to the Florida Gators 29-26 on Saturday. Not only was it the way Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham wanted to start the season, the team was grounded at the Gainesville airport after the team’s charter flight failed to take off.
Finally, the Utes made it home with a touchdown on Sunday night. But the experience was one the team won’t soon forget. Per Josh Newman of the Salt Lake Tribune, Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham spoke to reporters on Monday about the ‘nightmare’ situation.
Whittingham on the trip: “In my 30-plus years, that was the scariest and funniest situation I’ve ever been in.”
— Josh Newman (@Joshua_Newman) September 5, 2022
Kyle Whittingham said the trip was the scariest and funniest situation he had ever experienced. And this is 30 and over 30 years in coaching!
It’s one thing for a team to struggle to return home after a win. But for Utah football, which was heartbreaking in Florida, it had to be demoralizing.
The Utes’ plane was scheduled to take off Saturday night, but mechanical issues delayed the flight, leaving the varsity players and coaching staff on the plane for four hours early Sunday morning.
Whittingham and the rest of the Utah football program are stuck at Gainesville Regional Airport, which is backed up by Labor Day travelers. Fortunately, the Florida Gators have lent a helping hand by securing the Utes’ hotel partner, buses and meals until departure, per KSL Sports.
Still, this ‘late night’ experience is one that Kyle Whittingham and the rest of the Utes will remember for a long time.
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