It wasn't supposed to be like this for University of Utah freshman Mike Liti — not that he's complaining, mind you.
Liti, despite being a superstar high school running back in Southern California the past three years, didn't expect to play a single down this season for the Utes. Now the undersized 19-year-old may be the key to whether or not the Utes win a Mountain West Conference championship.
"I'm looking forward to it," said Liti, who is expected to make his first collegiate start on Saturday morning at Air Force in a battle of MWC co-leaders. "I think I'm ready."
Then again, maybe he won't be ready. Liti left practice early on Tuesday, spending most of it on the sideline with ice on his right shoulder. Ute coach Urban Meyer said afterward that the injury was deemed not serious by a trainer and that Liti is expected to be ready to play Saturday.
Utah, under the Ron McBride administration, produced more than its share of outstanding running backs.
Jamal Anderson. Charlie Brown. Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala. Juan Johnson. Mike Anderson. Omar Bacon. Dameon Hunter. Adam Tate. Each of them play or played professional football after their Ute careers.
This year's Ute team was to feature two more McBride recruits with pro potential — Brandon Warfield and Marty Johnson. Warfield was living up to expectations — leading the conference in rushing and ranking eighth in the nation — before being injured on the seventh play of Saturday's loss to New Mexico. Johnson, meanwhile, hasn't played at all due to injuries and off-field legal troubles.
So Liti — just five months removed from high school — becomes Utah's primary back in the biggest game of the year so far. He also figures to start in the final two regular season games as well — vs. Wyoming and at BYU — since Warfield will likely be out four to five weeks with his left knee injury.
Backing up Liti will be two more true freshmen, Joe Johnson and last year's Deseret Morning News Mr. Football, Kyle Brady, from Tooele. Both were recruited to Utah as wide receivers.
"Having three true freshmen at tailback — that shouldn't happen at the University of Utah," Meyer said.
The original plan was to have all three redshirt this year to learn the offense before starting their college careers next season as freshmen.
No such luck.
Liti's given name is Maikolo, but having been born and raised in Orange County, "Mike" was easier. That doesn't mean, however, that Liti doesn't treasure his Polynesian heritage. The second of five children born to Kolotolu and Seini Liti says learning about his native culture and dance is among his interests.
His four brothers are football players, too, but they aren't record-setting rushers. They got the bulk, instead, and are linemen.
Mike got the speed. He's among the fastest Utes, running a 4.4 in the 40.
But he's small, which is probably why he's a Ute in the first place. If Liti — who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, but appears smaller — was just a bit taller and a few pounds heavier, he probably would be playing (or more likely, redshirting) at USC or UCLA right now.
His size, or lack thereof, made most Pac-10 schools back off despite his being the fourth-leading all-time prep rusher in Orange County history (5,699 yards). Liti was the 2002 L.A. Times' Back of the Year when he ran for 2,344 yards for Foothill High in Santa Ana. He scored 78 touchdowns in high school, including 33 in a single season.
"USC was recruiting me heavily early and UCLA came on at the end, until their coaches got fired," said Liti. "Being from Orange County, those are two schools that I really wanted to go to, but then it didn't work out."
So Liti narrowed his choices to Boise State and Colorado State.
Until the Utes, who got a late start recruiting him thanks to the coaching change, swept him up at the last minute.
"I decided to come here because I liked the offense, which is similar to the one I played in high school, and because Coach Meyer is a great coach," he said.
Meyer says the Utes won't become a pass-happy team just because Warfield is out. He still wants to have a balanced offense, which means Liti will have to step up if the Utes are to have much offensive success.
Liti showed some of his potential in the loss to New Mexico when he carried the ball 13 times for 81 yards and a touchdown. For the season, Liti has 28 carries for 152 yards, for an average of 5.2 yards per attempt.
For his part, Liti is confident in his ability.
"Nobody has really seen what I can do yet," he said, suggesting that when they do see it, they will be impressed.
Still, one only has to look to last season's Utes to see what an injury to a running back can do to a football team. Utah was 2-0 and riding high after wins against Utah State and Indiana with Marty Johnson leading the nation in rushing. But Johnson suffered a season-ending injury late in the win over Indiana. Backup J.R. Peroulis then struggled — as did the entire Ute offense — in games against Arizona and Michigan. It started a six-game slide that ultimately cost McBride his job.
Then again, Liti's situation could be more like Alex Smith's, the U. backup quarterback who earned a starting job when Brett Elliott got hurt and then played so well that he's kept it ever since.
One way or another, Liti will give the Utes a different look than Warfield. Liti is faster, but not as powerful.
"(Liti's) not going to pound it up inside as much (as Warfield), but he's speedier and a bigger threat in the open field," said Smith.
Weather reports suggest Utah's game vs. Air Force will be played in the cold with possible snow.
"I've never, ever played a game in the snow," said Liti. "Hopefully it won't be too much of an obstacle. I'll just have to go out there and get the job done no matter what."
Even if he's being called on to do a job a year or two earlier than he anticipated.
HEAVY HEARTS: Before Tuesday's practice, the Utes gathered on the field for a moment of silence in remembrance of Fred Whittingham. The former Utah assistant, who is the father of defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham, died Monday from surgical complications.
"They love Kyle and they loved his father," Meyer said. "He recruited a bunch of these kids and he coached a bunch of them."
Following the moment of silence, a couple of players expressed their feelings about Whittingham.
"It was pretty touching and special," Meyer said.
Funeral services for Whittingham will be held Thursday at noon in the Oak Hills Stake Center (925 E. North Temple Drive) in Provo. Internment will be at the East Lawn Memorial Hills Cemetery in Provo.
Meyer said Kyle Whittingham plans to accompany the Utes to Saturday's game at Air Force.
EXTRA POINTS: Utah's Nov. 15 home game against Wyoming will kick off at 4:30 p.m. and be broadcast on KJZZ, Ch. 14 . . . Special teams standout Aaron Bryant, who has missed four games with a knee injury, is probable for this weekend . . . Senior tailback Brandon Warfield could possibly miss the rest of the regular season because of the sprained MCL he suffered in the New Mexico game. "We'll be lucky if we get him back," Meyer told reporters in the MWC's weekly teleconference.
E-mail: lojo@desnews.com
Contributing: Dirk Facer