The outlook is positive for the Utes after their biggest scrimmage of camp.
The Utes had their major scrimmage of fall camp today at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The coaches and players felt very positive about what the team accomplished throughout the morning. The media didn’t see more than a few plays from the second and third squads and a few punt returns.
Troy Williams is cementing himself as the number one quarterback and is close to clinching the starting job, according to Whittingham (yes, we all know he’s going to start). Williams was the last player to leave the field, as usual, after running extra footwork drills while other players and coaches were doing interviews. Tim Patrick said that although Williams is new to the team, he’s one of the leaders in the passing game efforts, and is vocal to help his teammates.
It was a positive day for the wide receivers, and the key word from Patrick and Whittingham was “consistency,” which is what receivers coach Guy Holliday said he’s been looking for since spring ball. The Utes have plenty of physical gifts at the receiver positions, but have needed consistency. As far as practice goes, they seem to be getting it.
The battle continued for the big guys at the line of scrimmage. Every day is a competition between arguably the best defensive line in the Pac-12 (and possibly country) and the veteran, strong offensive line.
The linebacker pair right now appears to be between Sunia Tauteoli and Cody Barton, with several guys fighting for both backup positions, notably Kavika Luafatasaga and Donavan Thompson. The wide receiver corps starters will likely be twin towers Tim Patrick and Tyrone Smith on the outside with Kyle Fulks in the slot. Behind them will be Caleb Repp and Raelon Singleton, who has battled injury this fall and throughout his career at Utah. Freshman Demari Simpkins has made several plays in the past few days and his making noise, pushing for a backup slot role.
The Utes are solidifying their position groups in the last week of camp. The team will finish the fall camp session on Saturday, with the annual FanFest at the Rice-Eccles Stadium plaza on Saturday evening at 6:00.
Kyle Whittingham:
QB Troy Williams:
RB Joe Williams:
WR Tim Patrick:
Defensive Coordinator Morgan Scalley:
DE Hunter Dimick:
DE Kylie Fitts:
