SALT LAKE CITY — Other than a showcase of speed by running back Troy McCormick and receiver Dres Anderson, the defense held the upper hand in Saturday's scrimmage.

A crowd of several thousand basking in the sun enjoyed several big plays, including a 60-yard touchdown run by the speedy McCormick, a 44-yard touchdown pass from Travis Wilson to Dres Anderson and a 29-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Hipolito Corporan.

SALT LAKE CITY — Tuesday marked the beginning of week two of Utah's spring football practices, and while the week prior was dominated by the defense, it was the offense that made some strides — especially in the passing game.

All quarterbacks looked sharper on day four of Camp Kyle, which also marked the first day of full contact this spring for the Utes. Execution, mechanics and pocket presence all were improved as the offense finally got in a rhythm after being seemingly stagnant through the first few days.

Six players are taking reps at quarterback this spring with two more entering the program this fall. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham thinks the competition level and overall depth is a good thing for the program.

SALT LAKE CITY — You could feel the sense of urgency up on the hill.

After back-to back-losing seasons for the first time in 23 years, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham made a bold decision this past offseason, hiring Dave Christensen to be the Utes' new offensive coordinator in hopes of bucking that losing trend.

There were plenty of new faces at the Spence and Cleone Eccles Football Center as the Utes kicked off their first spring practice of 2014 Tuesday afternoon — both new incoming recruits and new offensive staff hires. But it was one familiar face that drew the most attention.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Pac-12 Tournament kicks off today at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Here are our projections at how the tourney could play out.

First Round

Utah/Washington
Josh: Utah
Rob: Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — For a position group that has seen its share of setbacks over the past several seasons, suddenly the Utah football roster is overflowing with talent at quarterback.

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham announced via Twitter that Kendal Thompson, a redshirt sophomore quarterback from the University of Oklahoma, will be transferring to the Utes after he graduates in May.

"We would like to officially welcome @Thurm405 to the Utah Football Family!" Whittingham (@UtahCoachWhitt) tweeted.

SALT LAKE CITY — Only one word comes to mind when you think of Utah's offense over the past several years — inconsistent, not only for the on-field results, but the people on the sidelines wearing the headsets as well.

As the Utes prepare with yet another offensive coordinator for their upcoming 2014 campaign, they will be doing so without someone who has been in the Utah program all but one season since 2004.

Reports indicated late last week that Utah quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson will be leaving the Utes to take his coaching talents to Mississippi State.

SALT LAKE CITY — The 2013 college football season just ended with the national championship game last Monday, but fans are already optimistically looking forward to what 2014 might bring for their favorite team.

Winter workouts are already underway for most teams, with spring football practices right around the corner.

How will the Utes fare in 2014? Only time will tell, but even the most optimistic fan has to be a little concerned when looking at the 2014 football schedule released Wednesday afternoon.

SALT LAKE CITY — University of Utah starting quarterback Travis Wilson will miss the remainder of the season after doctors discovered a season-ending pre-existing health condition.

Wilson missed Saturday's game against Oregon after sustaining a concussion during the Arizona State game. Wilson had tests performed last week where doctors said he would miss the season after discovering a pre-existing condition.

"Through the concussion diagnosis process a preexisting problem was discovered," Whittingham said. "They proceeded to give him an angiogram to take a closer look. At that point they discovered there was a preexisting problem that needed to be addressed and continue to be monitored."

SALT LAKE CITY — Arizona State hasn't been kind to the University of Utah on the football field.

In two meetings since joining the Pac-12 conference, Utah has lost to the Sun Devils by an average score of 36-10.

But last night's Stanford win over Oregon raises some valid questions — just how good is Stanford? And just how good is Utah for beating them?

This week on the show we recap Utah's 19-3 loss to USC, look ahead to Friday's Runnin' Utes season opener and special guest Jamie Whittingham, wife of current football head coach Kyle Whittingham, joins us to give us insight into the program.

Every week we here at the Crimson Corner are teaming up with the UteSportsReport.com staff to bring you the UTEcast, a podcast focusing on everything Utes.

You can listen to part 1 here:

SALT LAKE CITY — After two disappointing outings, it may seem like Utah's big 27-21 win over the then No. 5 Stanford Cardinal was seasons ago, not just a few weeks.

UTEcast 10-26: Reaction to Utes' 19-3 loss to USC

The problem for the Utes in two road losses isn't that difficult to diagnose, as they have managed season low offensive outputs for two consecutive weeks — 329 total yards against Arizona, then an even lower 201 yards against USC.

Every week we here at the Crimson Corner are teaming up with the UteSportsReport.com staff to bring you the UTEcast, a podcast focusing on everything Utes.

On this episode of the UTEcast we recapped Utah's 19-3 loss to USC in LA.

You can listen to the show here:

Every week we here at the Crimson Corner are teaming up with the UteSportsReport.com staff to bring you the UTEcast, a podcast focusing on everything Utes.

On this episode of the UTEcast we previewed the Utah vs. USC matchup and recapped the Night With the Runnin' Utes.

You can listen to the show here:

SALT LAKE CITY — Basketball season is officially underway now up on the hill as the Utes had their annual night with the Runnin' Utes and the Red-White game.

I was curious to see what the Utes had coming back and what they had coming into the third year of head coach Larry Krystkowiak.

The Utes welcome back starters Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge. Some of the newcomers are Delon Wright, Ahmad Fields, Kenneth Ogbe, Princeton Onwas, and local recruits Parker Van Dyke and Connor Van Brocklin.

Every week we here at the Crimson Corner are teaming up with the UteSportsReport.com staff to bring you the UTEcast, a podcast focusing on everything Utes.

This week on the show we recapped last week's disappointing loss for the Utes and where they fall in the Pac-12 pecking order.

You can listen to the show here:

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utes face another tough test this week as they look to put a disappointing loss to Arizona behind them, heading south to USC to take on the storied Trojan football program.

The last two weeks couldn't have been more of a roller coaster for the Utes, defeating the then No. 5 Stanford Cardinal two weeks ago, only to fall the next week to Arizona.

"We got off to a slow start in our game against Arizona, and although we played much better in the second half, it wasn't enough to pull out the victory," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We are facing one of the most storied programs in the country this Saturday in USC and we fully anticipate that our players will bounce back and be ready to play the full 60 minutes vs. the Trojans."

SALT LAKE CITY — Robert Jackson and Mike Grant break down the Utes loss at Arizona

Every week we here at the Crimson Corner are teaming up with the UteSportsReport.com staff to bring you the UTEcast, a podcast focusing on everything Utes.

This week on the show we brought in guest host James Cella (@UteCentral) to talk about Utah's big win over Stanford as well as preview the Utes upcoming matchup with Arizona on the road.

You can listen to part 1 here:

TUCSON, AZ. — Coming off its biggest win since joining the Pac-12, Utah will head outside the state for the first time in 2013, travelling south to take on the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson.

The Utes will look to build off their upset win over the then No. 5 Stanford Cardinal, while the Wildcats try to get back on track after losing two straight.

Here are ten things you need to know to impress your friends as we count you down to kickoff:

SALT LAKE CITY — This week on the Crimson Corner, Robert Jackson and Mike Grant break down the Utes big upset over the #5 Stanford Cardinal.