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SALT LAKE CITY — With so many new faces, there are many questions surrounding the 2011 season for the University of Utah football team. Here are five storylines to look for going into the first game of the season against Montana State.
Week 1 Game Notes- Utah (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12) vs Montana State (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky)
- Date: Thursday Sept. 1, 2011
- Time: 6:00 pm (MT)
- Site: Salt Lake City (Rice-Eccles Stadium/45,017)
- TV: KJZZ
- Web: utahutes.com (Streamed LIVE)
- Radio: ESPN700
- Series Record: Utah leads 9-0
- Last Meeting: 1982 (Utah 30, Montana State 12)
- Kickoff Weather: Partly cloudy, Temps: lower 80s
Who will become the starting running back? The Utes have what appears to be a strong stable of running backs, but they all have minimal, if any, experience at the Division 1 level. John White seems to have established himself as the frontrunner, but Tauni Vakapuna will push him while Thretton Palamo and Harvey Langi will see some time as well. Look for coaches Kyle Whittingham and Norm Chow to use this game as an opportunity to see who they will go with for the rest of the season.
Is the secondary the biggest weakness on this team?
Related:
GAME PREVIEW: Utah vs. Montana State
The University of Utah football season starts off with what many people view as a warm-up to USC the following week, but Kyle Whittingham and Company don't see it that way.Many believe that the defensive secondary is this Ute team's biggest weakness. Conroy Black and Ryan Lacy are very talented but have very little experience, and there is a lot of hype around safety Keith McGill. Montana State will not test Utah’s secondary like USC or others down the road, but they do like to throw and have the defending Big Sky Offensive MVP in DeNarius McGhee as their quarterback.
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Jordan Wynn’s shoulderThis might be a storyline all season long. This game should provide a good opportunity for Utah to get Wynn in a game situation while also limiting his chances of getting injured again. If Utah gets up big, Wynn could be out of this game before the start of the fourth quarter.
The Utes' adjustment to Norm Chow’s offense
This will be the first chance Ute fans will get to see how their team’s personnel fits with Norm Chow’s offense. Will they get the Norm Chow of USC or UCLA? Chow’s west coast offense is more tailored to Wynn’s style of play, and he has played in that system before. It sounds like Wynn and Chow are on the same page with the offense now, but how will it play in a game situation?
Can this Utah team compete in the Pac-12?
You know that’s going to be the question on everyone’s mind at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday night. No doubt some things will work against Montana State that won’t against USC and Arizona State, but Ute fans will get a look at the talent on their team. This game will either give the Utes confidence or make them uneasy going into the Coliseum next week.
Trevor Amicone is the Sports Director at 88.1 Weber FM "Ogden's Radio Station" and host of the Sports Talk Radio Show, "Fully Loaded Sports with Trevor Amicone." To check out more blogs by Trevor, go to trevorstoptens.com.
