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SALT LAKE CITY — So much for that indoor football facility...
The Utes were once again outdoors in balmy conditions at Rice-Eccles, luckily Mike Grant let me borrow his beanie or I may not have survived.
Although the weather was downright chilly, the players were more crisp and concise than we've seen all spring.
Here are a few notes/highlights from spring practice day 13:
Jake Murphy should have sixty catches by the end of the season
Once again, Murphy caught everything. Didn't matter if the pass was behind him or two feet over his head, he somehow was able to find a way to make play after play after play. He hauled in a few diving catches before impressing the crowd with a catch in the corner of the end zone going up and over safety Quade Chappius.
DT Tenny Palepoi is as good as advertised
Replacing Star Lotulelei is no easy task, but Palepoi is making strides this spring. Both Palepoi and Stevie Tu'ikolovatu had impressive outings this afternoon (see video of Defense Highlights above).
Kelvin York 43 yard run
York has seen minimized reps this spring due to injury, but he showcased why he is still listed as the featured back, breaking off a 43 yard run against the first team defense (see video of Offense Highlights above).
Travis Wilson deep pass to Kenneth Scott
It was an up and down day for the quarterbacks, but even with that they were both far better than what we saw on Saturday. Wilson had a terrific 43 yard deep pass right on the money to Kenneth Scott that set up a 4 yard TD toss to Dres Anderson. It was good to see the offense making those big plays again.
Slow start for kickers
Special teams got off to a slow start, as both Andy Phillips and Jamie Sutcliffe missed four consecutive FG attempts at the start of practice. Even on a punt the snap went over Tom Hackett's head. But by the end of practice the kickers began to shine. Phillips made his 34 yard FG attempt and Sutcliffe nailed a 39 yarder to close out practice. Hackett had every one of his seven coffin corner punts downed inside the 5 yard line.
The Utes will practice again on Thursday, but merely a walkthrough (not in full pads) before Saturday's Red and White game. Kickoff is set for 1 pm in Rice-Eccles and it is free to the public. The game will also be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
If you are coming to the game, remember that the Salt Lake Marathon will be going on at the same time, so you may need to alter your drive in to the stadium. HERE is a route map of the race, and HERE is more detailed information on specific intersection closures.
The best alternative route to navigate around the course is by utilizing all three freeways.
