SALT LAKE CITY — With golf clubs in hand, the University of Utah football team concluded its fourth day of training camp.

In an effort for some fun after a grueling morning of practice, the coaches got the players together for a friendly closest-to-the-hole (or garbage can) golf competition. The winner earned some extra money in their stipend. And although kicker Andy Phillips is known for his abilities on the links, it was fellow specialist Tom Hackett that won the competition.

The golf competition was the perfect way to conclude what head coach Kyle Whittingham called the “best practice overall.”

“The tempo was really good, the energy, the competition,” he said. “We’re getting after each other and practicing the right way and we’re not doing things that are stupid. It was very competitive today and the tempo, the pace at which we played was very good.”

Having a stand out practice was the offensive line and the running backs, according to Whittingham. Junior running back Devontae Booker, junior Bubba Poole and redshirt freshman Troy McCormick all had multiple big runs, with Booker escaping for a 70-yard touchdown run.

“He’s (Booker) a physical back and he doesn’t shy away from any contact,” Whittingham said. “He’s the hammer more often than the nail when there is a collision. He’s a guy that thrives on contact and he’s got speed. The thing about him is he’s got it all. He’s got the ability to run with the physicality, but he’s got breakaway speed, which is a rare combination.

The running backs made great reads, but Whittingham credits the offensive line for much of the offensive success Thursday.

Related:

Tevin Carter adds to strong Utes defense; QB battle moves forward

Despite committing to the University of Utah last season, senior safety Tevin Carter is healthy and ready for the season to get underway.

“The holes that were there were the product of the offensive line,” Whittingham added. “It’s up to the backs to have the vision and the knowledge of the scheme of where that hole’s going to be. The offensive line is doing a nice job. Only four days in, two days with pads, but they seem to be playing well with each together.”

Although the offensive line has been progressing throughout the week, Whittingham said he’s still a few days out from naming a starting right tackle. Marc Pouvave took most of the snaps at right tackle Thursday, but Whittingham said the coaching staff is still going through two or three combinations to fill the role.

“That’s going to be a work in progress for the next five or six days until we make a determination on which direction we’re going to go,” he said. “But it’s got to happen within that time frame because the five guys that are ultimately going to end up being starters are going to have to start playing sooner rather than later.”

Travis Wilson

Travis Wilson continues to impress the coaching staff with his leadership and performance on the field. Although Kendal Thompson has been pushing Wilson for the starting job, quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick said he’s happy about what he sees so far.

“What we’ve done well is take care of the ball and thrown a high completion percentage, particularly Travis,” Roderick said. “He’s throwing an extremely high completion percentage in the first four days up around 80 percent. It’s probably not sustainable throughout a season to be 80 percent, but you’d like to think that we can be up there pretty high.”

However, Roderick said it’s still too early to name a starter. The coaching staff will continue to work through its several scripted practices and see how each quarterback handles the situations they’ve been put in.

“We try to make it as scientific as we can,” Roderick said. “It’s not a perfect science, but we do our best to make the best decision we can for the football team.”

“There’s never any favorites,” Roderick added. “Your favorite is who gives you the best chance to win, and that’s what it’s all based on. Every day we try to put these guys in situations where they get a chance to show what they can do.”

As for the remaining quarterback, Roderick said he hopes they’re disappointed they’re not in the starter conversation.

“I’d be disappointed in them if they weren’t disappointed about not getting reps,” he said. “If you’re a great competitor you should be upset about not getting reps. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just how you handle it. Do you handle it the right way but staying ready, working hard every day or do you handle it by getting discouraged and talking about it with your teammates and stuff like that? And so far, every single guys has handled it well and have been in total support of the team.”

Tight ends

Despite criticism that offensive coordinator Dave Christensen has gone away from utilizing tight ends in the offensive game plan, there is a lot of depth in the tight end position. And several of the scripted plays in the past four days have been designed for tight ends.

Senior Westlee Tonga continues to lead the pack, but Whittingham said Evan Moeai, Siale Fakailoatonga, Harrison Handy and walk-on Wallace Gonzalez have given Utah a viable option to expanding the offensive schemes.

Notes

Starting left tackle Jeremiah Poutasi was wearing a cast on his left arm Thursday. “It’s preventative, he’s got a bruise,” Whittingham said. “It’s just nothing more than preventative, but he should be fine.” … Raelon Singleton will redshirt after sustaining a shoulder injury at Monday’s practice. He will have shoulder surgery and will miss the season.

Related topics