When it comes to quarterback, Utah isn't using a depth chart this spring. With Brian Johnson seeing limited action while recovering from knee surgery, the Utes are calling it a practice order.
"It wouldn't be fair to anybody to make a decisive call before Brian has a chance to get in there and show what he can do," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "People forget he was the No. 4 total offense guy in the country last year when he went down. That's a pretty darn good job for an 18-year-old true sophomore."
So much so, in fact, that Whittingham is predicting a fierce battle this fall when Johnson is back in the fold. The competition, he added, is expected to be even more intense and competitive than it is now.
Senior-to-be Brett Ratliff, who stepped in for the injured Johnson and led the Utes to season-ending victories over BYU and Georgia Tech, is battling Oklahoma transfer Tommy Grady and redshirt freshman Kevin Dunn for most of the snaps this spring.
"We've definitely been pushing each other. We're all very competitive people, and we're working real hard to get that starting job," Ratliff said. "I'm hoping I get the job, but the coaches will decide, and may the best man win."
In Saturday's scrimmage at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Ratliff solidified his spot atop the practice order. He completed 14-of-20 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns.
A Ratliff-like performance, said Whittingham, who saw marked improvement in Utah's offensive execution. The Utes scored seven touchdowns and were 3-of-3 from the goal line — scoring each time on first down — in the situational scrimmage.
"Last week the quarterbacks were poor. They knew that. We watched the film," Whittingham said. "When you come off of a poor performance you want to improve and get better. That's what we did today."
Grady was 4-of-7 for 55 yards and a touchdown, while Dunn went 2-of-4 for 18 yards and a score.
The statistics mirror what Whittingham said is clearly the pecking order right now. The competition, though, is far from over.
"I don't think it's wearing them down. It's buoying them up," Whittingham said. "It prevents people from getting complacent and getting stale. I think competition is always a healthy thing."
On a day when several defensive standouts were sidelined for a variety of precautionary reasons, the offense shined. Sophomore-to-be Marquis Wilson led eight receivers in catches. The former Juan Diego star had eight receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
"He showed what he can do today," Ratliff said. "He's just got to keep doing that and come out every day and play the same way."
Tight end Pate Moleni, a converted defensive lineman, was another bright spot. He made two catches for 42 yards and a score.
"He's getting better and better every day," Ratliff noted. "That's what we need to get out of everybody."
Offensive contributions were plentiful. Besides Wilson and Moleni, Derrek Richards and Bradon Godfrey also caught passes for touchdowns. Darrell Mack led the ground game with 61 yards rushing. He and Mike Liti crossed the goal line for scores.
"The No. 1 offense just did a great job," Ratliff said. "We moved the ball. We were clicking."
Louie Sakoda contributed four field goals and Ben Vroman made three. Both kickers converted on a pair of PATs.
On defense, Derek Beardall recovered a fumble and Martail Burnett made a tackle for loss. Other notable performances included sacks by Josh Woods, Bryce Scanlon and Andrew Smart, a forced fumble by Kyler Rushton and pass breakups by Danny Copinga and Kyle Brady.
POSTON HEALTHY: Senior tailback Darryl Poston, whose collegiate career at USC and Utah has been plagued by injury, is having a good spring. He's battling Mack and Liti for the starting job.
"Right now he's doing everything right. He's working hard in the weight room and he's producing on the field," Whittingham said. "We're hoping that his career can end with a bang."
SPRING THING: With 11 of 15 spring practices complete, Whittingham acknowledged the Utes are growing a bit tired of hitting each other.
"I think the toughest thing about spring is there's no game to look forward to. You just compete against each other," he said. "It's a situation where you can only hit each other for so many days before you want to hit somebody else. So it's a lot like two-a-days, where you get to a point where you want to hit someone else."
Utah opens the season Sept. 2 at UCLA.
EXTRA POINTS: The scrimmage began at 9 a.m. — allowing the stadium crew extra time to prepare for Real Salt Lake's home opener later in the evening . . . Before next Saturday's spring game, the Utes will practice Tuesday, Thursday and Friday . . . Travis LaTendresse, Dan Beardall and New York Jets defensive lineman Sione Pouha were among the Utah alums who watched the scrimmage.
E-mail: dirk@desnews.com