Utes behind the lines: Wide receivers

SALT LAKE CITY -- For much of the season, Utah's receiving core has been a threat on the field, even against the higher level of competition in the Pac-12. And with the Utah offense making the adjustment to junior college transfer Jon Hays who was called on to lead the team as quarterback, Utah receivers look to keep the ball moving.

Reggie Dunn:

Player Profiles:

Reggie Dunn

• Number: 14
• Class: Junior
• Hometown: Compton, Calif.
• Last College: Compton CC
• Height /Weight: 5-10 /170
• Birthdate: 01/05/1989
• Experience: 1VL

Dres Anderson

• Number: 6
• Class: Freshman
• Hometown: Riverside, Calif.
• High School: John W. North HS
• Height /Weight: 6-1 /171
• Birthdate: 07/20/1992
• Experience: RS

DeVonte Christopher

• Number: 10
• Class: Junior
• Hometown: Las Vegas, Nev.
• High School: Canyon Springs HS
• Height /Weight: 6-1 /200
• Birthdate: 04/17/1990
• Experience: 2VL

Junior wide receiver Reggie Dunn has been one of Utah's biggest threats on offense, particularly when the Utes have used the reverse. His speed -- currently tied for the title of the team's fastest player -- and ability to read the defense make him nearly impossible to contain. This season, Dunn has seven receptions for 85 yards and seven carries for 87 rushing yards. Also filling a spot as the team's kick returner, Dunn has run for 211 yards on nine returns, with an average of 23 yards per return.

Dunn joined the Utes last season as a junior college transfer from Compton Community College. He played all 13 games and had four receptions for 70 yards, 12 carries for 99 yards and two touchdowns. He finished second on the team in kick returns with 355 yards on 12 returns and became the first Utah player in 25 years to return a kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown.

Dunn said his favorite memory as a Ute came last year against San Jose State: "My favorite moment is probably last year -- Homecoming -- when I ran a reverse on my first touch ever in college football. I scored a touchdown, so that was probably my favorite moment," Dunn said. The reverse was a 43-yard touchdown to help the Utes beat San Jose State.

Watching the play of several athletes, including DeSean Jackson, Percy Harvin and Reggie Bush, Dunn said he hoped to emulate their abilities on the field.

Before every game, Dunn said he has only two rituals: "I make sure I call my mom and dad before every game so they can wish me luck," Dunn said. "And I like to listen to Lil' Wayne and Michael Jackson. I listen to Lil' Wayne and Michael Jackson before every game."

As a Pittsburgh Steelers fan growing up, Dunn said he's excited to be in Pittsburgh this week as the Utes look to rebound from two consecutive losses. "I'm happy we get to go down there this week and play at Hines Field," Dunn said. "I've been a Steelers fan my whole life. My dad was a Steelers fan and his best friend played for the Steelers -- Louis Lipps, No. 83 -- back in the day."

Dres Anderson:

As a member of the scout team last year, Dres Anderson made a major impact on the coaching staff, who eventually gave him the starter role this season. Anderson has been one of two receivers that Jordan Wynn and Jon Hays has relied on to lead the Utah offense. Anderson has 14 receptions for 213 yards and two touchdowns, adding 22 rushing yards on the season.

With his infectious personality, Anderson is just you're typical fan of football, with the Philadelphia Eagles being the team he follows: "I've always been a Philadelphia Eagles fan -- they're my squad. They're doing bad right now. We've got to pick that up. We've got a dream team; we aren't producing."

But football may be in his blood, with his father, Willie "Flipper" Anderson, once a receiver with 10 years of NFL experience, preparing Anderson to follow in his footsteps. "Everybody told me that my dad was great. I've seen clips and film on him," Anderson said. "He's always been my favorite player. He's my dad so I'll always look up to him."

Anderson said his greatest moment with the Utes was when he scored a touchdown against BYU: "That was a great moment. We wanted that win so bad and we got it. That's probably been my most happy moment here. I'm looking forward to a lot more in the future."

Despite the less-than-impressive Pac-12 start, Anderson asked fans to have faith in the team: "Stay with us, we're going to pick things up. We'll be back on this winning route and we're going to be 7-0 for the rest of the season," Anderson said. "Hays has a good arm. He's going to put it out there and I'm going to go get it."

DeVonte Christopher:

As Utah's leading receiver, DeVonte Christopher is a major offensive threat. Recruited out of high school as a highly-rated quarterback, Christopher quickly found his home as a top receiver who was willing to fight for every catch. This season, Christopher has 23 receptions for 351 yards and two touchdowns. In his three years with the Utes, Christopher has 64 receptions for 1049 yards, with eight touchdown. Last season, Christopher was named honorable mention all-MWC receiver and was MWC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Pittsburgh.

In high school, Christopher was named Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year, Nevada Prep Player of the Year and Las Vegas Review Journal Player of the Year in 2007. In addition, Christopher was named first-team all-state as a senior, all-conference as a sophomore receiver and senior quarterback and first-team underclass all-state as a sophomore. His abilities at receiver and quarterback led to scout.com ranking Christopher as the No. 2 prep player at any position in the state of Nevada.

As quarterback at Canyon Springs High School, Christopher threw for 3,265 passing yards and 44 touchdowns as a senior. He was the first player in Nevada prep history to pass for more than 30 touchdown in the regular season.

Because of injury, Christopher was not able to speak to media this week.

*Email: jfurlong@ksl.com*Twitter: @JFurKSL

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