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SALT LAKE CITY — Eleven weeks. 80 days. That is all that stands between now and the always glorious return to college football. Utah vs. Utah State kicks off at 6 p.m. Thursday Aug. 29. BYU will play in Virginia two days later.
That is considerably shorter than it was two months ago — and yet still so far away. Ready to scratch the college football itch?
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The team at KSL.com is going to help you count down the weeks a little easier by priming you for your respective team's season. Every week a new topic will be discussed by the experts so everyone can know the who, what and why of the upcoming football season.
The main contributors for this will be Greg Wrubell and Jason Shepherd for BYU, Mike Grant and Robert Jackson for Utah and Matt Glade for Utah State. There will be others giving opinions here and there, but that is the main group.
This week the focus will be on replacing NFL talent and what is the biggest needs to replace this year. Who will replace Ziggy Ansah? What about Star Lotulelei? Utah State saw Kerwynn Williams and Will Davis get drafted.
These aren't the only players to leave the programs though. While they might have received the hype, and the money, there are lots of other solid contributors that these coaches will need to find a replacement for.
The Cougars lost pieces of their line and the middle of their defense. The Utes won't have a couple of Kruger's, a trio of contributors at corner back and a guy that seemed to return a kick every time he got the chance, and John White. Utah State lost, on top of their coach Gary Andersen, a lot of help in the secondary and targets for Chuckie Keeton.
To get an idea of what will need to be replaced this year a look back to last year is in order. Last year there wasn't quite the amount of turnover for most of these schools, at least in key areas.
Utah State lost the most with Bobby Wagner, Robert Turbin and Michael Smith all graduating and being drafted. Fortunately Andersen had backups in place. Joke Doughty and Zach Vigil stepped up for the linebackers and will be centerpieces for the defense this year. The running back situation was stabilized as Kerwynn Williams had a great season with 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns.
BYU lost their three starting running backs, two of their best linemen and the star of their defense. Their jack-of-all-trades in JJ Di Luigi, short-yardage specialist Bryan Kariya and ultimately Josh Quezada left the team at the running back spot. Michael Alisa and Jamaal Williams stepped in to fill those shoes.
Offensive tackle Matt Reynolds and center Terence Brown left and the line never seemed to get settled. They also lost Jordan Pendleton. He was the defensive playmaker, but couldn't stay healthy. His role was replaced by the great play of Kyle Van Noy.
Utah had to replace Tony Bergstrom who was drafted in the third round by the Oakland Raiders. Their defense took a big hit with the loss of Derrick Shelby, Conroy Black, Matt Martinez and Chaz Walker. They lead the team on defense. Walker and Martinez were the leading tacklers and Shelby tied for the team lead in tackles for loss and was second in sacks. Black lead the team in interceptions. As usual the Utes produced a solid defense, with a lot of juniors stepping up.
Who will step up in their absence? That is what the next few days area about. The experts might not tackle every position, but a look at the greatest need and who will have the daunting task of replacing the NFL talent these teams have lost. Tuesday BYU will be broken down by Greg Wrubell. Utah will be looked at on Wednesday and Utah State on Thursday.
