2008 Utah Utes Preview

Under coach Kyle Whittingham, the Utah Utes have proven they can finish strong. This year, the Utes want to start fast and keep going. Whittingham’s record is only 8–11 for the opening segments of his three seasons, but he’s 16–3 the rest of the way, including three bowl victories.

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Utes

The Utes seem to end every season wishing they could replay a few games from early in the year. The Aug. 30 season opener at Michigan is an intriguing opportunity for this team, because of the Wolverines’ coaching transition. An upset of Michigan could position Utah for a return to national prominence, because a home game with Oregon State is the only other real challenge on the non-conference schedule, and the Utes also have conference contenders TCU and BYU coming to Salt Lake City. The Utes’ key is to avoid the kind of headshaking loss that has characterized coach Kyle Whittingham’s career and caused them to fall out of the league race before making a late push. Offensively, Utah just needs quarterback Brian Johnson to stay healthy. The Utes are 12–7 in games he has started, and if he returns to his 2005 form after being limited last year, Utah’s spread offense should be dynamic, especially if junior college transfers can fit in smoothly at receiver and tight end. Defensively, the Utes need some young, talented players to perform consistently, right from the start. And if the offense and defense just play adequately, Louie Sakoda will win some close games for Utah with his kicking and punting.

“Kyle’s done a great job of just staying steady,” says defensive coordinator Gary Andersen. “We’ve been through some tough times the last three years, but the bottom line is to keep it steady.” 

The Utes have been gritty and resilient, the problem being that those qualities surfaced only after they were knocked out of the Mountain West Conference race with early losses. In 2008, they hope to use a season-opening game at Michigan to launch them into the conference schedule and keep them in contention for their first league title since Urban Meyer departed for Florida after an unbeaten 2004 season. With a veteran offense and a young but fast and talented defense, the Utes believe they can put everything together this season from start to finish.  

Quarterbacks

Returning from knee surgery and a redshirt year, Brian Johnson was knocked out of Utah’s 2007 season opener before halftime with a shoulder injury. He was fully healthy for only two games the rest of the way, passing for 312 yards as Utah beat Louisville and completing 20 of his last 22 passes in the Poinsettia Bowl against Navy. Yet even with their offense restricted, the Utes won eight of the nine games Johnson started and finished, demonstrating offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig’s adaptability and Johnson’s impact as a leader. That’s why he was named the team MVP, despite a big statistical dropoff from his 2005 season, when he ranked fourth in the country in total offense. “We were a better team with him in there, because of his intelligence and leadership,” Ludwig says. The coaches were hesitant to have Johnson run, trying to protect his shoulder, and his passing ability was also limited. Offseason surgery helped him regain strength in the shoulder, and Johnson is primed for his senior season. Ludwig intends to return to more of a spread offense to utilize Johnson’s running ability, while also using sophomore Corbin Louks again in special situations. 

Running backs

Instead of collapsing when junior college transfer Matt Asiata broke his leg on his fourth carry of the season, Utah’s running game accelerated in 2007 thanks to Darrell Mack’s emergence. Having intended to redshirt, Mack became the starter in the third game and ended up rushing for 1,204 yards, the third-best total in school history. Mack is a powerful inside runner who is durable and consistent. Asiata returned to the field for spring drills. While Utah usually runs a one-back scheme that will limit his playing time, he should serve as a strong complement to Mack, especially in short-yardage situations. Utah’s backs are not particularly fast, so the coaches like to use receivers as perimeter rushers in the option game. 

Receivers

The Utes lost top receiver Derrek Richards to graduation, but welcome back Brent Casteel, who was lost for the season with a knee injury in the second game. Casteel caught 39 passes in each of his first two years and is effective after the catch, with skills that also make him valuable in the running game. Former walk-on Bradon Godfrey is very dependable, having caught 50 passes last season, and other receivers, including Freddie Brown, Jereme Brooks and Elijah Wesson, have shown flashes of ability. Because Utah often uses four receivers, depth is an issue. Junior college transfers Aiona Key and David Reed, who arrive in August, will be expected to contribute immediately. The tight end is mostly a blocker in Utah’s system, but Colt Sampson is a solid player, and junior college transfer Dudley LaPorte should merit having some passes come his way.

Offensive linemen

This is the strength of Utah’s team. The Utes return four starters along the line, and they’re quality players. Left tackle Zane Beadles is an athletic player with “unbelievable potential,” according to Ludwig, and right guard Robert Conley is a fourth-year starter who’s strong and consistent. At left guard, Caleb Schlauderaff was a pleasant surprise last season after injuries to other players pushed him into the lineup. Right tackle Dustin Hensel also improved steadily, as the Utes ranked second in the conference with 167.5 rushing yards per game. The line’s only new starter is at center, where sophomore Zane Taylor is the likely successor to Kyle Gunther. With a solid line and a healthy quarterback, Utah expects to improve offensively after finishing seventh in the league with 369.6 total yards per game.
 
Defensive linemen

After giving up a total of 575 rushing yards while losing their first two games last season, the Utes made changes up front. Those changes worked. Paul Kruger and Koa Misi made a big impact the rest of the way and will anchor the line as ends this season. “They should be awesome,” Andersen says. Kruger and Misi contributed to Utah’s 37 sacks last season, and their pressure also helped the Utes rank first in the country in pass efficiency defense. Misi is moving outside from a tackle position, where he was undersized. That leaves questions at two tackle spots in Utah’s 4-3 scheme. Two sophomores, Lei Talamaivao and Isley Filiaga, will have the first chances to step in, with junior Kenape Eliapo and senior Aaron Tonga in the rotation. 

Linebackers

The linebacking corps also took a hit “on paper,” says Andersen, pointing out that injuries created opportunities for returning players to gain experience. So he expects little drop-off in production after the linebackers helped Utah finish 18th in the country in total defense (yet only fourth in the conference), allowing 328.5 total yards per game. Stevenson Sylvester, the rover, was second on the team in total tackles (86) and tackles for a loss (10). He will lead this group. The other outside backer is Nai Fotu, who was used regularly in special packages as a freshman. Middle linebacker Mike Wright is a former walk-on who played solidly as an injury replacement last season.  

Defensive backs

The Utes will miss leading tackler Steve Tate, a strong safety who made plays all over the field. However, Tate is the only defensive back who’s not returning among the 10 who played significantly last season. Joe Dale was named the Poinsettia Bowl Defensive MVP after making 12 tackles and a game-saving interception against Navy. He’s moving from free safety to replace Tate. At free safety, big things are expected from Robert Johnson, who played most of last season with an injured shoulder and still had three interceptions and two forced fumbles. Utah is loaded at cornerback, where Andersen says he would be comfortable with any of eight players. Brice McCain, who had 11 pass breakups, and R.J. Stanford, who emerged late in the season, are the starters. Sean Smith, who intercepted four passes, will play extensively as a nickel back. Overall, the Utes are not big on defense but are very fast, with Andersen enjoying “the luxury of having so many guys who can really run.”  

Specialists

Louie Sakoda is a rare kicker-punter who’s equally adept in both specialties. He averaged 44.3 yards as a punter last season, when six of his punts were downed inside the 5-yard line. He’s remarkably consistent as a kicker, having made 35-of-42 field goal attempts the past two seasons, with his only misses in 2007 coming from 45, 48 and 51 yards. Sakoda made 15 consecutive attempts before missing a 48-yarder last year. He’s also a threat in fake situations, having completed two passes for 42 yards and run twice for 26 yards in 2007.  Brooks averaged 22.2 yards on 12 kickoff returns as a freshman and will also handle punts this year in Richards’ absence.

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