SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 Sports) - Utah will host Michigan in Rice-Eccles Stadium in the 2015 season opener as a part of a home-and-home series that begins with a 2014 game in Ann Arbor. Michigan will make its first Salt Lake City appearance on Sept. 3, 2015 in a rare weekday game for the Wolverines, who have never played on a Thursday. The first game of the series is scheduled for Sept. 20, 2014 in Michigan Stadium.
Michigan becomes just the second Big Ten team ever to play in Salt Lake City. The Utes knocked off Indiana 40-13 in Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2002.
“A home-and-home series with Michigan is the kind of opportunity that comes with membership in the Pac-12 Conference,” said Utah Director of Athletics Dr. Chris Hill. “I greatly appreciate Coach Whittingham’s willingness to add college football’s winningest program to his already difficult 2014 schedule, which will also feature five Pac-12 road games.”
The 2015 game will mark the second time the two teams have opened their season against each other. Michigan was the first step in Utah’s 13-0 2008 season that concluded with a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and a No. 2 national ranking for the Utes. The Utes are 1-1 overall against the Wolverines, losing 10-7 in 2002 and winning 25-23 in 2008.
“Playing a home-and-home series with the University of Michigan—one of the country’s most storied programs—is a great opportunity for us,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “The game-day atmosphere in Ann Arbor is a special experience for players and fans alike. We also look forward to hosting Michigan in Salt Lake City, allowing the MUSS and all our fans the chance to give the Wolverines a taste of what game day at Rice-Eccles Stadium is all about.”
