‘Best thing about life is football’: Utah running back fighting through the pain

Mike Mitchell wanted a standout game.
Heading into Saturday’s showdown against Utah State in Logan, Mitchell hadn’t yet had the performance he was looking for.
He shared carries with three other running backs in the opener against Southern Utah, carrying the ball six times for 21 yards, then against Baylor, he rushed six times for 20 yards.
Dealing with an ankle injury since fall camp, the redshirt freshman running back hasn’t been at full health all season and seemingly took a turn for the worse after reinjuring it during the second quarter of Utah’s 23-12 win over the Bears.
It looked like Mitchell would miss the remainder of the game as he didn’t appear on the field during the rest of the second quarter and the third quarter, but on Utah’s game-defining drive that took over seven minutes off the clock, there he was.
Mitchell had two carries on the drive, including a 6-yard first-down run, to help the Utes seal the game. There was no doubt that Mitchell was in pain, but he gutted through it to return to the field.
That’s been the theme of the season for Mitchell, and it conjures up memories of what Ja’Quinden Jackson went through last season. The now-Arkansas running back fought through an ankle injury during fall camp and the rest of the season, rushing for 797 yards and four touchdowns on 161 carries.
Just like Jackson, Mitchell is powering through his injury, fighting through the pain, both to contribute for Utah and to keep his newfound place as the No. 2 running back on the depth chart.
“I feel like it’s my mentality. … I messed up my ankle in Week 1 and so I don’t want that to set me back and push me back in the depth chart. I fight, I try to fight the best I can, do what I can just to get through, just get through the pain,” Mitchell said.
“I’m in pain, but in my mind I got to get through that so I can keep playing because the best thing about life is football. … I grew up playing ball. I didn’t have a lot of injuries growing up, but being in college, injuries set you back and that’s the one thing I don’t want to do is set me back.”
Ankle injury and all, Mitchell was determined to have his breakout game as a Ute in Logan and stake his claim to Utah’s RB2 behind Micah Bernard.
“I just wanted to show everybody that I’m not just the talk and the hype. I can play, too,” Mitchell said.
Utah’s coaches gave him an opportunity, and Mitchell was able to stay on the field for the entire game, carrying the ball 14 times (only Bernard had more carries with 17) for 75 yards.
Perhaps most importantly, offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig trusted him to gain key third downs. Of Utah’s 13 third-down attempts Saturday, Ludwig called designed rushes on six, with Mitchell getting the ball three times. The redshirt freshman converted two of those three opportunities, including a key 11-yard gain on third-and-1 from the USU 22-yard-line that moved the chains.
Mitchell took the handoff from Wilson, hit the hole with authority, drove a shoulder into a would-be Utah State tackler and bounced it to the outside to set Utah up in the red zone.
On the next play, Wilson threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to give Utah a 17-14 lead heading into halftime.
“I take pride in my job knowing that I contribute to where the school fits me best. If they tell me I need to get in there on fourth down, I’ll get in there on fourth down. But being able to get in on third downs and carrying Utah on my back … I’m going to get the first down. … I take pride in that,” Mitchell said.
Partly because of Mitchell’s performance, Utah finally got its run game going, totaling 221 yards against USU. The Utes will need to keep that up as they enter Big 12 play against Oklahoma State on Saturday.
After a few games by committee, Utah has found its running back rotation heading into conference play — Bernard at the No. 1 spot, Mitchell at No. 2, and Dijon Stanley as the change-of-pace back that will get occasional carries.
Bernard has secured his spot as Utah’s RB1 with back-to-back 100-plus-yard games — the senior rushed for 123 yards and a score with a 64-yard run that helped seal the win over USU — but isn’t the style of back that can sustain the load by himself.
“He’s not the biggest guy. Is he a 30-carry game guy? No, I don’t believe so,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “But he can give us 20 good carries a game.”
With that in mind, Utah has to have a secondary back, and with Jaylon Glover out of the picture due to his performance at practice, Mitchell has emerged as Utah’s RB2.
Make no mistake, Bernard can run physically — see his four stiff arms on his 64-yard run — but he’s more of a finesse running back, while Mitchell fits the mold of a true power back, and it fits with how Utah has utilized the redshirt freshman so far this season.
The two styles complement each other nicely.
“I feel like when you look at Micah, he has power, he has speed, he has everything in the bag. He’s a very smart back, and then when you look at me, you’re like, oh, we know what he’s about to do,” Mitchell said.
Coming in for those short-yardage or power situations is something Mitchell relishes.
“Everyone’s on their toes when it comes to Micah, but when you see Mike go in, it’s ‘We finna run it down their throat’ and I like that,” Mitchell said. “… That means the other team knows what I’m going to do. And then when it comes to that, it’s who’s better? Who wants it more? And every situation, I’m going to want it more.”
After rising from scout team to becoming one of Utah’s key running backs, Mitchell isn’t going to let anything slow him down this season.
“Coming from scout and out of nowhere becoming Micah Bernard’s second, I feel like I accomplished a lot so far,” Mitchell said.
“I’m not done though, but I feel like I accomplished a lot. In Power Five football, playing is hard, seeing the field is hard and I feel like I’ve worked my (expletive) off to get here. I’m going to continue to work my (expletive) off so I can keep playing and so I can contribute towards the team.”