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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham announced Monday that there were no season-ending injuries following Utah’s road win against Arizona.
Although Utah escaped its first game of conference play with a win, the team lost starting quarterback Tyler Huntley and starting defensive end Kylie Fitts to serious injuries in the first half of the game. Huntley sustained an apparent shoulder injury, while Fitts needed help walking off the field after struggling to put weight on his ankle.
Whittingham declined to expound upon the status of his two key players due to his policy to not talk about injuries unless they’re season ending. However, indicated that he was “hopeful” some players would be able to return with two weeks of rest.
“We’re going to be optimistic and hope that everybody is ready in two weeks,” Whittingham said. “Maybe that’s wishful thinking, but we’ll have to see what happens.”
Whittingham added that the team has confidence in Troy Williams, who won nine games for the program as its starter last season, and that no one doubts his ability to run the offense in Huntley’s absence.
“Everybody has got confidence in Troy,” Whittingham said. “There’s no one on this football team that doubts him at all.”
The offense, Whittingham said, will change a bit for as long as Williams is the team’s quarterback, but that there will not be “wholesale changes.”
“There’s no reason for that,” Whittingham added. “Troy is a very capable runner and good in the pocket. Troy Taylor, I’m sure, will tailor the game plan to fit his specific skill set, but there is not a great deal of difference of things we need to change or do. Troy (Williams) is fully capable of running this offense just as is.”
Developing a run game
Utah rushed for 112 yards against Arizona Friday, with sophomore running back Zack Moss leading the charge with 73 yards on 14 attempts. And while there was more production in the run game against the Wildcats than in the previous two games, Whittingham said the program needs more.
“We’re not awful. I think we’re about middle of the pack in rush offense in the league, but we’re used to running the football better than we are right now,” he said. “But we’re throwing the football better than we have been and so there’s give and take.
“I think it’s a combination: We need to run off the ball a little bit, offensive line wise and create more creases, run with a little more violence with the ball is in our hands,” he added. “I think it’s a work in progress.”
Whittingham credited Devonta’e Henry-Cole with an increased level of play, saying that he has learned his assignments over the last couple weeks, which has led to more playing time for the sophomore running back.
“He gave us some nice runs. He’s got great quickness,” Whittingham said. “He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he runs with physicality. His ball security is excellent. He’s always got the ball high and tight. He is doing his part. ... When he gets completely up to speed, him and Zack should give us a nice one-two punch.”
Utah was expected to add to its depth at running back with the return of Armand Shyne to the lineup after breaking his arm prior to the season start. However, Whittingham said Monday that the program will be seeking a redshirt season for him since he wouldn’t be returning until the end of the season.
“We think that he’s going to redshirt. It’s going to be so late when he does get cleared — if it’s not the end of the regular season completely — there would be only one or two games left,” he said. “So it doesn’t make sense really to play him when he gets healthy because there would be very little football left. A redshirt is still the plan right now.”
Notes: Utah will be without Marquise Blair in the first half of the Stanford game after he was called for a targeting penalty in the second half of the Arizona game. Whittingham noted an increase in targeting penalties this season, saying “flags are coming out like crazy. … As I’ve said many times, football has changed and you better get used to it because apparently it’s how it is.” … Utah’s homecoming game against Stanford on Oct. 7 will be at 8:15 p.m. and will be broadcast on FS1.
