Wilson leads Utah with 5 TD’s in first scrimmage

(Ravell Call, Deseret News)


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SALT LAKE CITY — After eight spring practices on the season, the first scrimmage of the year for the University of Utah is in the books. And it was some familiar faces that got the Utah offense moving.

The Utah offense struggled to get any momentum going early as the various positions groups settled into their roles and got the early jitters of live practice out of the way. But a familiar duo took matters into their own hands and picked up where they left off last season as Travis Wilson connected with Dres Anderson for a 58-yard touchdown pass.

The two found each other later in the scrimmage for another score as Wilson caught Anderson along the sideline for a 37-yard touchdown pass. Anderson ended the scrimmage with three catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

“We made some pretty big plays and the offense was pretty consistent,” Anderson said. “I love Travis. I love all our quarterbacks, but Travis back is a good thing for us.”

Wilson, who got most of the reps as the team’s projected starter, also connected with tight end Westlee Tonga a couple times for back-to-back touchdowns and running back Bubba Poole for an easy 12-yard touchdown. Wilson ended the scrimmage going 11-of-21 for 182 yards and five touchdowns.

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"It was Travis' best day of the spring," head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "He was rusty when he started the spring. He wasn't allowed to do much of anything in the offseason, and he's still not quite where he was when he was hitting on all cylinders early in the season. But he's made a lot of progress."

“We made some really big plays and we connected on a lot of big ones,” Wilson said. “It feels really good. It feels good to be back in the swing of things. I’m really happy to get another chance to play football. And today was a great showing of our new offense.”

Prior to Friday’s scrimmage, Whittingham said he was looking for some separation at the quarterback position behind Wilson, with redshirt freshman Connor Manning battling it out with junior Adam Schulz. Although both had their struggles at times throughout the scrimmage, it was Manning that dominated the day between the two quarterbacks.

Manning quickly got the ball moving with quick short passes to Dominique Hatfield and other receivers as the offense drove the ball down for an eventual 5-yard touchdown run from junior college transfer Devontae Booker.

Manning finished the scrimmage going 9-of-16 for 66 yards and Schulz finished with a disappointing 1-of-7 for 10 yards.


We made some pretty big plays and the offense was pretty consistent. I love Travis. I love all our quarterbacks, but Travis back is a good thing for us.

–Dres Anderson


Booker, who is listed as second in the depth chart behind returning Poole, made a name for himself as an instant impact player, hitting the gaps hard and extending the play after the initial contact. Booker has been one of the most consistent backs of the spring camp and looks to be in the running for a spot this fall.

Also having a standout performance during the scrimmage was sophomore kicker Andy Phillips. Although Phillips was a breath of fresh air for the special teams last season, he looks to add to his talent this upcoming season with a wider range and a stronger leg.

Phillips hit 9-of-10 field goals, with his longest coming from 52 and 53 yards out, which was about his the extent of his range last season. Both field goals, however, were easily made and looked as though they could be backed up by another 10 or more yards. Having a consistent kicker for another season is something Whittingham is most pleased about.

“He’s in a groove right now and works hard and has been very consistent throughout spring,” Whittingham said. “His leg is stronger this year, he’s worked hard in the offseason; He’s got a little more range than he did last year.”

The Utes have six more practices before the summer break, with the team’s next scrimmage coming next Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

NOTES:

Andre Lewis suffered an MCL sprain during the scrimmage, according to Whittingham, but said he should be good to continue practicing. … Backup kicker Jon Haliday was 11-of-12, with his longest coming from 44 and 46 yards out.

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