After days of deliberation, the Utes announced Thursday that Jason Woods will start at quarterback Saturday night against Fresno State.
Woods started the opener against Utah State, but was sidelined last week because of a bruised right knee. Mike Richmond started against Minnesota and threw for 317 yards, but, after throwing his second interception, he was relieved by Woods in the third quarter."Jason is going to start, based on the fact that he won the job in the spring and fall and because he played a good game
while being hurt," said offensive coordinator Dan Henson. "He didn't make bad decisions with the football. The decision on who plays will be based on good decisions with the football and not yardage."
However, Henson made it clear that, unlike many coaches, he would not be reluctant to play his backup quarterback in a game if the starter is struggling.
"If one guy isn't getting the job done, and not making good decisions, I wouldn't hesitate to use the other guy," says Henson. "The most important thing is winning the game. Mike has proved to me that he is very competent to be a starter. The reason we started him last week was because we knew he had the experience."
Except for the two interceptions, Richmond had a fine outing against Minnesota, completing 24 of 31 passes. In 5 1/2 quarters of play this season, Woods, hampered by the bruised knee, has completed 20 of 38 passes for 269 yards, 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
"No one has seen the real Jason Woods yet," says Henson. "He hasn't been healthy."
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SI names Edwards Player of the Week
LaVon Edwards, the University of Utah's junior cornerback, has been named Defensive Player of the Week by Sports Illustrated.
Edwards returned a blocked field goal attempt 91 yards for a touchdown on the last play of the game to give Utah a 35-29 victory over Minnesota last Saturday night. He also had six tackles and one interception.
Edwards will be cited for the honor in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated.