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SALT LAKE CITY — As redshirt freshman running back Mike Mitchell hit the ground midway through the second quarter, he let out a primal scream that could be heard on the TV broadcast Saturday afternoon.
Medical trainers quickly attended to him on the field before he slowly limped off the field, needing some help from others. The young back had tweaked his ankle the week prior in the season-opener, but the current injury was different.
"My ankle was out," he told KSL.com. "I went to the sideline to pop it back in. I told everybody that was one of my top five worst pains."
Minutes later, after those same trainers got his ankle back into a more normal state and taped it back up to give him some protection, Mitchell could be seen running up and down the sideline testing his ankle.
Nothing was stopping him from getting back on the field.
"I'm not done playing football. I'm in for dirt," he said. "I'm going hard until I can't go — until somebody says, 'No, you're not, you're done.' But as soon as I seen the opportunity, as soon as I seen I could walk and run on it again, I went right back in."
Mitchell eventually got back on the field and was a contributor to a key moment late in the game in which the Utes went on a seven-minute drive that featured a heavy dose of the run game to wear out the clock and limit Baylor's opportunity to close the gap on a game the Bears were outmatched in most facets of the game.
For Mitchell, that type of drive and effort to get back in the game showcased his dedication and drive to be on the field and contribute in any way possible. He still has much to prove, but he's not letting the bad moments of a game — injuries — be a setback in his opportunity to make an impact.
"I always try to think positive," he said, with a big smile on his face. "The worst things happen, but even when the worst things happen, you can get a big outcome out of the worst things. Everything happens for a reason. I'm a big believer on that: Everything happens for a reason.
"It's probably some mind mentality telling me you gotta be able to push through it and keep playing and be there for your teammates," he added. "And most of all, I want to be there. I want to be there for my teammates no matter what. If they need me, I want to make sure they can call my name and be like, 'Go get in, I need you to get this run.' I'll be like, all right, bet, I'm gonna get it, even if I am hurting. So it's just a win, don't lose mentality."
That win, don't lose mentality continues to drive a running back looking to help a run game that Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham says needs to be more productive. The room has been close to what the offense needs in the first two games — averaging just under 5 yards per carry — but there needs to be a better effort from the versatile room.
For Whittingham, a successful day running the ball — even as Utah looks to be more pass heavy this season — should be somewhere between the 230-250 yards mark. In the first two games, Utah is averaging 177.5 yards per game.
Not every game will go for that number, but it's significantly lower than Utah's averages in 2022 and 2021, in which the team ranked 11th in the country with an average of 217 rushing yards per game.
"I still think there's more for us in the run game," Whittingham said.
Utah is still looking for an answer there as it works within a running back by committee approach. Micah Bernard, who rushed for a team-high 118 yards on 19 carries, is the closest the team has to a RB1, Whittingham said, but added that "we'll see how things progress."
The hope is that Mitchell will factor more into the game, as well as Jaylon Glover — who got no playing time Saturday — and Dijon Stanley, and, to a lesser degree, walk-on Charlie Vincent.
"There's no pressure at all," Bernard said, while noting that he's used to seeing more 200-yard games from Utah. "I mean, we've just got to play our brand of football. We love to run the ball, so we're going to run the ball like we usually do. ... We've got the guys to do it, we've just got to go out there and execute."
As the veteran back, Bernard will likely carry the bulk of the work in the run game. It's something he's happy to undertake, while recognizing there's still more to his game that he needs to do to take it to the next level to help the team.
"Still a lot to improve on," he said. "I think my eye discipline could be better. Went back and watched the film, I left some money out there, so hopefully this week fix that up and have a bigger week this week."
Against Utah State, Mitchell is calling it a "statement" game for the running backs.
"This game forward, this Week 3 game is gonna be a statement," he said. "It's gonna be a statement for us RBs, all of us, all around. Micah had a 100-yard rushing game. Our goal for the game: Three backs should have 100 yards next game. Simple as that. I believe we're the best backfield in the country, and we've just got to have the chance to prove it."
Whatever his role, Mitchell said he's "feeling pretty good" and is "more confident in my ankle" going into Utah's first road game of the season against Utah State. But he's also ready to see his game "pop" soon.
"I don't get a lot of big runs, but the runs I do get is hard, fought for; and sooner or later, my big runs gonna pop," he said. "I don't really stress on it. Hey, I might have 30-40 yards after a game, but I know I worked hard for the 30-40 and my time's just gonna come."
Utah hopes to see his — and the rest of the room — runs pop a little more, too.
