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SALT LAKE CITY — The story lines going into the game Thursday night may be more about what to expect with the new changes for the Utes than Northern Colorado. Last year, the Utes opened with another Football Championship Subdivision team in Montana State. Utah did not play very well in that game and still handled the Bobcats pretty easily.
Montana State was a good FCS team. Northern Colorado is a bad FCS team. So the Utes should handle the Bears pretty easily, but let’s take a look at the story lines to watch for in Thursday’s season opener.
Game Notes- Utah (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12) vs. Northern Colorado (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky)
- Date: Thursday, Aug. 30
- Time: 5:15 p.m. MDT
- Site: Rice-Eccles Stadium (45,017/FieldTurf)
- TV: Pac-12 Networks • in Utah Comcast 757 (HD) & 37 (SD)
- Radio: ESPN700
- Series Record: Utah leads 2-0
- Last Meeting: 1937 (Utah 7-6)
- Kickoff Weather: Partly cloudy, temps in the upper 80s
1. The health and effectiveness of Jordan Wynn. The Utes’ quarterback has had an unfortunate past of injuries. He is coming off an October 2011 surgery on his left shoulder, but that is not as concerning as his December 2010 surgery on his right and throwing shoulder. Before Wynn got hurt last season, it was still a mystery as to whether or not he was actually healthy from the first surgery.His throwing motion was clearly altered in the four games he played in 2011. He also looked hesitant and uncomfortable in the pocket. Wynn doesn’t only need to be healthy, he needs to be confident. Despite the weak competition, we’ll be able to tell if Wynn is truly back.
2. The new offensive coordinator. Last offseason, head coach Kyle Whittingham hired Brian Johnson as his new offensive coordinator. Johnson, now 25 years old, is the youngest coordinator in the nation. There are players on the team who are nearly as old as he is. There are coaches who work for him who are older than him and who were passed over for the job he now holds.
So there are more questions than just “will he be able to call plays?” Although certainly his effectiveness as an offensive coordinator and play-caller will be a big storyline, another aspect of his hire is the dynamics between him and his players and fellow coaches. How do his subordinates respond to him? How do his players respond to him? How does his youth affect his composure in the booth?
3. The new offense. So the dynamics of Brian Johnson as a coach are a big question, but what about the offense he puts on the field? We’ve been told the Utes will run a little bit more of the spread offense he ran when he led the Utes to a 2009 Sugar Bowl victory. He will also likely keep some of the West Coast style that Norm Chow brought last season. Thursday will give us more of an idea.4. Star is out. The hype around defensive tackle Star Lotulelei is through the roof this season. ESPN draft guru Todd McShay currently has Lotulelei as the number one overall pick in his mock draft. Lotulelei didn’t practice too much during the spring or fall practice because he was so dominant that the coaches were afraid he would hurt somebody. Well now, he’s out of the cage, and Northern Colorado quarterback Seth Lobato may never get a chance to get a throw off.
5. How long will Northern Colorado compete? In all seriousness, Northern Colorado might win the 5A state championship in the state of Utah. Might. I’m truly not making fun or trying to be hyperbolic. The Bears will struggle to hang around the Utes through the first quarter.
The only question may be how soon we’ll see freshman quarterback Travis Wilson. The Bears went 0-11 last season in the FCS out of the Big Sky Conference. Look for the Bears to have trouble protecting Lobato and to have trouble getting the offense off the ground.
Trevor Amicone is the editor of byutahinsiders.com, a website that will be launched before the 2012 football season to cover both Utah and BYU football as well as national college football. Follow his Twitter feed at @TrevorAmicone.
