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SALT LAKE CITY — Entering the dog days of summer? Oh, I don't think so.
Fall camp is just five days away for the Utes. As KSL.com's preseason previews continue, this week we look at the three biggest objectives for the Utes to complete over the next three weeks.
Out on an island
The Utes won't be able to just replace a piece here or there for their defense to be successful in 2013 - they'll have to rebuild the entire cornerback position.
Utah structures its defense in a way that relies heavily on the corners to play a lot of man-to-man single coverage. Sounds simple enough (it isn't) - but now add to it that Utah has to replace three seniors that accounted for 95% of the plays at corner in 2012.
"We have a lot of talented players in the program at that position but very few have played any snaps in the Division I game," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham told us at Pac-12 Media Day. "(With) as much man defense as we play and as much as our defensive success hinges on that, that's got to be an area that gets up to speed very quickly in fall camp."
Justin Thomas, a redshirt freshman from Orange, Texas, had an outstanding spring and is projected to fill one of the starting positions.
Opposite him should be senior Keith McGill, who played safety in five games in 2011 before missing the rest of the season with an injury. He also sat out all last year with an injury.
The last position up for grabs is a battle between junior Joseph Smith and senior Michael Walker, whose position battle will carry over into the fall.
Not only will the Utes need to develop their starting three corners, but it will also be critical for them to build some depth in case of injuries.
Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way
Since Brian Johnson in 2008, the Utes haven't been able to start and finish a season with the same quarterback. That is four seasons of changing up the playbook midseason, receivers adjusting to a new throw style and sports writers like us pulling out our hair (that is if I had any left).
The Utes have to find a way to get some consistency at that position.
Enter sophomore Travis Wilson. Wilson played in every game for the Utes last season, subbing in as a wildcat running quarterback before taking over the reigns as the starter the final seven games of the season.
But does he have what it takes to be the leader of a Pac-12 team?
"Right now, he's our guy, and we're expecting him to be a leader for us," Whittingham said. "But we need him to hit the ground running this fall and be a leader for our offense and for the football team."
That doesn't mean he is already guaranteed the starting role, however. As the frontrunner for the position, its Wilson's job to lose, but unlike most fall camps in recent memory for the Utes, four viable options all look to oust Wilson from the starting lineup.
So what does it all mean? It means that Wilson will be continually pushed to improve, so when he suits up August 29th against Utah State, we'll see an improved version of the 6-6, 245 pound quarterback. As the old saying goes, competition breeds excellence.
It's time to go to work
The Utes snapped their streak of consecutive bowl appearances with a disappointing 5-7 campaign in 2012, one that didn't sit well with players and coaches - especially Kyle Whittingham.
"It's no fun not going to a bowl game," Whittingham said. "It was foreign territory for us, and our guys are chomping at the bit to get back out there."
In order for the Utes to bounce back and return to the familiar territory of playing an extra game in December, considering that they play the 12th toughest schedule in the country, they'll need to buckle down and get to work.
To pull out a cliche movie quote from "The Dark Knight", the Utes need to create their own luck.
Why are certain teams consistently near the top of the +/- turnover ratios each season? Preparation.
Success is when preparation meets opportunity. Success in 2013 will be defined by returning to a bowl game.
