Utah running back Brandon Warfield said he always wanted to be a quarterback, so the new Urban Meyer offense that puts him in the shotgun for direct snaps with the quarterback standing out as a wide receiver is just great for him.
Warfield took straight shotgun snaps from center several times as the Utes opened the Meyer era Thursday night in Rice-Eccles Stadium with a 40-20 victory over Utah State.
One such play resulted in a 1-yard run just before the first Meyer-era touchdown (15-yard reception by Larry Miles from Brett Elliott), and another gave Warfield his first TD of the season, a 4-yard run that made the score 14-3 with 3:33 left in the first half.
Warfield searched for a bit on what he called "a busted play. I was just looking for some green." Then he saw Paris Warren making a block near the goal line and said he knew he was in. He wound up somersaulting into the end zone. "I didn't have to. I wanted to," he said.
Warfield followed teammate Marty Johnson in racking up big numbers on the Aggies. Johnson had 176 yards against USU last year. Warfield carried 33 times for 173 net yards and one score, with a long run of 20.
Johnson sat out this game, not physically ready to play after a foot injury suffered in training camp. This game also served as his suspension game, said coach Urban Meyer. Johnson was in legal trouble last year, and Meyer suspended him for a game of the coach"s choice. Meyer decided just before game time, he said, and told Johnson.
Quarterback Brett Elliott said Warfield "is one of the best running backs in the country. He's a warrior. Why not give it to him every play?"
Warfield spun out of a lot of tackles and seemed to gain a lot of his yardage on his own, but he denied that. "Me spinning is just me," he said. "The offensive line did a good job."
KICKOFFS: Placekicker Bryan Borreson wound up doing most kickoffs Thursday, though the Utes had somewhat planned on using transfer Dennis Pawelek. Pawelek "is not ready yet," said Meyer, who plans to use him soon.
HE'S BACK: Former Ute quarterback Scott Mitchell saw the revamped Rice-Eccles Stadium Thursday night. The Springville product who left Utah after his junior year for an NFL career in Miami, Detroit and Cincinnati, said he is still hoping to catch on with an NFL team and living in Orlando.
He said he met Meyer once and just came to Salt Lake City to see the game.
NOTES: First out of the new tunnel from the Ute locker room in the Meyer era was receiver Ben Moa . . . Utah State won the first coin toss and kicked off — to the Utes' Morgan Scalley, who caught the ball while stepping out of the end zone for a touchback.
Justin Hamblin, who signed a letter of intent with Utah before going on a mission and returning to find a new coaching staff that already had two kickers, sending him to USU Larry Miles scored the first TD for a Meyer-coached Ute team, catching a 12-yard pass from Brett Elliott and spinning into the end zone from 2 yards out.