Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s anemic offense over the years has been a major stumbling block to its potential in the Pac-12. It was a major factor in Utah’s end-of-season slide last season, despite being ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press poll midway through the season.
Utah still managed to have its best season since joining the conference but failed to reach its ceiling as a result of stalled offensive production and an injury to star running back Devontae Booker.
But will the 2016 season continue in the same offensive trend, particularly with nearly every skills player graduating last season? That question largely depends on who will be calling plays under center.
Coming into fall camp, Utah’s coaches will choose between one of three quarterbacks to lead the team this season: junior Brandon Cox, junior college transfer Troy Williams and freshman Tyler Huntley. In spring, each of the three had good showings, with Huntley taking the coaches by surprise.
“He’s got those intangibles that you look for in a quarterback,” head coach Kyle Whittingham said of Huntley in the spring. “He’s got a field general mentality, he’s got charisma, he’s got some fire in the huddle; it’s infectious. His attitude and his passion is infectious for the rest of the offense.”
As a true freshman, though, Huntley has an uphill battle to dethrone Cox, who is the most familiar with the playbook and team atmosphere, and Williams, who has the most live experience at Washington and Santa Monica College. Williams wasn’t able to finish spring camp as a result of an injury, but coming into fall camp appears to be the favorite to start.
“It's very obvious that he has the intangibles you look for in a quarterback, the leadership qualities, the personality — players gravitate towards him,” Whittingham said of Williams. “He was starting to pull away before he got hurt in spring ball, but now he's got to come back and re-establish himself.”
Whoever starts, though, Whittingham wants to see some offensive progress, which he deems being efficient throwing the ball — an aspect of the offense that has been underwhelming, to say the least.
“That was the thing that kept us from winning a championship last year, not being able to throw the football nearly effectively enough,” Whittingham said at the Pac-12 Media Days. “That's got to change.”
Since joining the Pac-12, Utah consistently ranks in the lower-half of the Pac-12 in terms of average points scored per game. Last season, Utah finished the season tied at ninth for an average of 30.6 points per game.
Utah passed the ball more (39.3 percent of all plays) than the national average (34.0 percent), but failed to make an impact, averaging only 180 passing yards per game, which ranked the Utes 11th in the Pac-12 and 105th nationally out of 128 teams. In contrast, Washington State and Cal, two of the top three teams in the nation in passing yards, averaged 389.2 yards and 376.3 yards, respectively.
Utah doesn’t necessarily need to be in a shootout with opponents; its defense alone will counter much of the high-scoring offenses of the Pac-12. Utah held opponents to an average 22.3 points per game last season and allowed an average 366.8 yards total offense. In comparison, Oregon allowed 37.5 points per game and allowed an average 485.3 total offense per game, which ranked the Ducks last in the Pac-12.
However, the offense as a whole can’t stall ala the 2-yard line stop against UCLA last season. The quarterback alone needs some assets to get the passing game moving along.
Whittingham has reiterated several times since last season that “wide receivers have to improve.” The question is, who does Utah turn to be that star receiver or impact player? It would appear that Tim Patrick and Cory Butler-Byrd are the favorites, but each is relatively unproven at the position.
Patrick was held out all of last year as a result of a season-ending injury in 2014, and Butler-Byrd, who is also coming off an injury, spent the bulk of his time on the defensive side of the ball as a corner. However, Butler-Byrd’s speed and ability to catch the ball was showcased in part against Cal for a 54-yard touchdown pass and in spring scrimmages.
“Typically those JC transfers take a year to get settled into your system and then the next year they flourish, and we're hoping that's exactly what happens with Cory,” Whittingham said. “Last year he was able to kind of get his feet wet and this year he completely excels.”
Whittingham added that “missing Patrick last year was big for us because he was our go-to guy.” However, in his junior season, Patrick had only 16 receptions for 177 yards as a secondary role player behind former Utah receivers Dres Anderson and Kenneth Scott.
“We need Tim to have a big year for us. We need to have the four or five freshmen/redshirt freshmen that played for us last year elevate their game, and the quarterback obviously has to get it done from his end.”
The offense will get a boost from its tight ends as Evan Moeai and Siale Fakailoatonga will be back from injury and will give Utah some diversity. Fakailoatonga had a breakout year after Moeai went down in the first game of the season and appeared to be a viable answer at the tight end position before suffering a season-ending injury midway through the season.
Although the passing game stands as a bit of a mystery, the running game will be the least questionable, with proven back Joe Williams returning to lead the offense. Williams picked up where Booker left off and managed 477 yards on 104 carries, averaging 4.59 yards per carry. Add to that Troy McCormick, a shifty back who is able to separate himself if given an inch, and the run game has the chance to give the offense a more diverse playbook.
Another sure foundation of the offense comes up front, where the offensive line is experienced and game tested. Center Hiva Lutui was forced into retirement as a result of an ACL injury in spring, but adding junior college transfer Garett Bolles, who is projected to have a breakout season, will only strengthen an already experienced offensive line.
Utah is in a position to make a splash offensively, but the new starting quarterback and assortment of wide receivers need to be equal contributors to the offense and not liabilities on the field. Once Utah can figure that out, there’s no telling how well Utah could do in the Pac-12.
