SALT LAKE CITY — By the looks of it Thursday night, it was obvious that it was Utah’s first game of the season.

Utah’s season-opener was never in question against North Dakota, but the game was far from perfect in all facets of the game. Here are three things that stood out in Utah’s 37-16 win over the Fighting Hawks.

Huntley is the dynamic quarterback Utah needs

When Utah announced sophomore quarterback Tyler Huntley as the team’s starting quarterback, it shocked everyone. Most thought offensive coordinator Troy Taylor would give the reins to incumbent starter Troy Williams. But after Huntley’s performance Thursday, it was obvious the coaches made the right move.

Huntley was not without his faults in his first start as a Ute; however, after a couple series, Huntley settled into his role as the leader of the offense and started going to work against the North Dakota defense. Huntley did exactly what the coaches and his teammates have been saying he could do: extend plays, throw on the run, and when necessary run.

Huntley finished his first career start throwing for 227 yards and one touchdown on 23-of-32 passing. He added an additional 70 yards on the ground on 18 carries. He did throw an ill-advised interception early in the game, but quickly learned from his mistakes. One of the most telling instances was when Huntley threw the ball away on third down in the red zone in the third quarter. The sophomore quarterback could have tried to force it, but instead settled for a field goal to give Utah points.

Although he has much to work on, including what head coach Kyle Whittingham called a “dive for daylight” or avoiding hits head-on, Huntley is the right quarterback to run Taylor’s offense. He may be a sophomore, but Huntley already has the ability to look downfield while on the run — an incredibly smart and experienced move to make for a dual-threat quarterback.

Defenses can bite on the run, leaving receivers open for big gains or he can tuck the ball and pick up big yards with his feet. Obviously, the competition will get better as the season progresses and as Utah advances into Pac-12 play, but if Huntley can continue to improve, Utah will have something special on its hands.

Penalties continue to kill the momentum

Sure, winning is the ultimate goal of every game. But against a better opponent, Utah would have likely struggled to keep a sizable lead considering all its penalties. In Thursday’s matchup, Utah finished the game with 11 penalties for a total of 139 yards. That’s almost as much as North Dakota’s total yards (238 yards) for the game.

Utah was one of the worst offenders last season in penalty yardage, ranking 95th in the country with an average of 60.4 yards per game. That average was doubled Thursday!

Yes, it’s the first game of the season and the game is going to be a little more loose as players learn their limits, but 11 penalties — big-yardage penalties nonetheless — is not acceptable. They kill drives and eliminate any momentum the team has. Here’s a list of all of Utah’s penalties:

• Unsportsmanlike conduct, Raelon Singleton — 15 yards
• Holding, Siaosi Wilson — 10 yards
• Illegal block, Terrell Burgess — 10 yards
• Holding, Darren Carrington — 10 yards
• Unsportsmanlike conduct, Tyler Huntley — 15 yards
• Personal foul, Marquise Blair — 15 yards
• Personal foul, Corrion Ballard — 19 yards
• Illegal block, Christian Drews — 10 yards
• Pass interference, Siaosi Wilson — 15 yards
• Pass interference, Raelon Singleton — 15 yards
• Holding, Demari Simpkins — 5 yards

  Fortunately for Utah, most — if not all — of those penalties are easy to correct. And it’s something that the coaching staff will drill in the players’ heads in the weeks to follow. If there is anything positive to take away from the penalties, it’s that many of them came from receivers, who were aggressive and found ways to try to give other guys space. As they learn their limits with the refs, Thursday’s experience could be a positive for the offense as it tries to create more space for Huntley to hit open receivers. Special teams still a question?

In Utah’s first special teams test, freshman kicker Chayden Johnston missed a 45-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter. It was the last time he saw the field as Matt Gay was called on to be his reliever. Gay took over the reins with a perfect night, hitting three field goals — 32-, 33- and 49-yard kicks — and was perfect in his PAT attempts.

Gay appears to be the starter moving forward, but it may be too early to call the race over. Johnston obviously earned the right to be the starter Thursday night, so there had to be something that separated him from Gay. Whittingham said throughout fall camp that the race was neck-and-neck and no one was finding separation. Under the lights, though, Gay was collected and delivered when Utah needed him.

Consider the relationship at kicker as “complicated.”

In the punting game, Mitch Wishnowsky continues to be a stable force for special teams. He was forced to punt once Thursday, sending the ball his standard 52 yards. As the kickoff specialist, Wishnowsky proved to be a great option as he kicked most out of the end zone, leaving North Dakota no options to return the ball.

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