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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s wide receivers have something to learn from Pixar’s “Finding Nemo.”
“Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.”
Or in a more football-related sense: just keep catching. Collectively, Utah’s receivers only dropped three passes that weren’t deflected by a defender during its 41-10 win over Weber State, but Utah is hoping to have more production in the passing game as the offense looks to get an early jump-start against Northern Illinois Saturday.
“It most definitely felt slow,” receiver Siaosi Mariner said, following a first-half stall on offense and a 10-0 deficit to Weber State. “But we didn't panic. We just kinda talked it over as a unit and said 'stay together.'”
And while a slow start may be easier to overcome against a team like Weber State, Utah knows it has to be better in its first road trip of the season, where the adversity can often be harder to overcome with an opposing crowd and an unfamiliar opponent. For the receivers, it starts with getting separation and catching the passes thrown their direction.
“Drops are going to happen, but just control the things that you can control and that's just giving great effort every play,” Mariner added.
Quarterback Tyler Huntley, who said he's thought more about the mistakes he made in the season opener than the four touchdowns he threw, said he’s not worried about how the receivers will respond this week, particularly starters Demari Simpkins and Samson Nacua, who struggled to pull down the ball consistently.
“I feel like the more I give them the ball, the more chances they’ve got of making a big play,” Huntley said. “I just feel like one day can't determine how good a player is. I feel comfortable in those two receivers, as I feel comfortable in any of the other receivers. I just felt like they just — it just happened that the pass wasn't caught— there's nothing to it.
“I expect them to have a big week this week.”
Utah’s receiving corps, though, is deeper than in years past, so when one receiver struggles there are several others to step up and make an impact on the game. Thursday standouts included Mariner and slot receiver Britain Covey, who combined for 152 receiving yards and one touchdown.
While Covey’s attacks generally come on the quick passes in the flat or on a jet sweep and rely on his shifty runs for big gains, Mariner provides a deeper threat to keep defenses from locking in too much on the run or routes up the seam. Add to that the emerging threat of young tight ends and Utah is in a position to do some damage in the passing game.
Looking at where these receivers are targeted also shows how the coaching staff plans to use these receivers throughout the season. Average depth of target (aDOT), a stat developed by ESPN NFL writer Mike Clay, shows where each receiver is targeted on the field in terms of distance, regardless of whether a catch was completed or incomplete.
Traditional stats do not account for this metric, relying only on total catches and yards, but that’s only half the story. I’ve been tracking these metrics since the 2017 season to provide a deeper look at the various positions. The following is a look at where Utah’s receivers are being targeted so far this season. The chart is not fully indicative of the season, as it’s a small sample size — one game — but it will become more useful as the season progresses.
