3 takeaways from Utah’s spring game


19 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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 — Spring football has come to a close for the University of Utah following the annual Red-White game Saturday.

Coming into spring there were several questions that needed to be addressed, and most of them will probably remain coming into fall camp. The following are a few takeaways from the spring game (and spring camp).

Quarterback battle just beginning

Replacing a four-year starting quarterback is never an easy task. However, based on spring practices, Utah seems to be in a good position moving forward. That’s not to say that the quarterback position has been figured out or that a starter is any closer to being named, but at least there is some promise with this year’s group.

Junior college transfer Troy Williams came into spring practices as the perceived favorite for the starting job, but an injury to his throwing arm sidelined him for the remainder of spring. Williams remains a strong favorite for the starting role, but it won’t be known until he’s actually on the field.

Brandon Cox, too, appeared to have a leg up on the competition having been with the program for three years now. Cox had a strong showing in spring and made some definite improvements to his game, but struggled to highlight all his work in the spring game. Cox finished the day throwing 17-of-31 for 146 yards and one interception and struggled to get the Red offense moving down field.

Freshman Tyler Huntley has been a strong competitor this spring and hasn’t had many off days for a guy that should still be in high school. Huntley has a nice pocket presence and appears unfazed by a collapsing pocket. His ability to step up in the pocket and make a read is an asset Utah hasn’t seen for some time. He had some nice passes Saturday and looks to be a strong competitor this fall.

Huntley finished the game throwing 17-of-26 for 233 yards and one touchdown. Even if Huntley is not named the starter this fall, Utah should be in good hands with him as a 3- or 4-year starter.

Wide receivers making progress

Everyone interested in Utah football wants to know if there will be some production from Utah’s receivers. If we were judging off of Saturday’s performance, Utah still has a way to go before any real judgement can be made about this year's team. There were way too many dropped passes, including wide-open ones on Saturday, but overall the receiving core had a decent showing.

Former tight end, now receiver Caleb Repp had a great showing Saturday, leading receivers on both teams. Repp finished with 96 yards and one touchdown, averaging 19.2 yards per catch on five catches. Also having a decent showing Saturday were Chad Hekking, Tyler Cooperwood and Siaosi Wilson.

Spring is no real indication of who will be on the two-deep roster come fall time, particularly with many of Utah’s top receivers still out and expected to come back in fall. The real takeaway, though, is that receiver coach Guy Holliday is making a difference and holding players accountable.

Developing depth

Spring is always a good opportunity to develop the talent of players behind the starters on the depth chart, and a good group of backup players makes all the difference come the regular season. Injuries are bound to happen and several backup players need to be ready to come should their name be called to step in.

Utah still has some work to do with its depth, but has come a long ways in developing talent behind the starters. There are still questions heading into fall camp, though, for linebackers and receivers. If these two position groups can secure talent from top to bottom, Utah should be in a good position to resume its strong showing last season.

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

SportsUtahUtah Utes
Josh Furlong

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast