Joe Dale didn't inherit Utah's strong safety spot. He earned it.
"He held off all comers. Junior college, high school — whoever we put in his path," defensive coordinator Gary Andersen said. "He held them off. He did a fantastic job."
Dale, a sophomore from Irving,Texas, will be in the starting lineup Thursday when the Utes open the season at Oregon State.
"It was a lot of competition," Dale said. "It was real tough, but I just tried to use it as motivation and perform my best. That's what I did."
It paid off.
"Joe Dale was the most improved player through spring," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "He won that starting safety job and has hung onto it through fall camp. He's playing much more mature than you'd expect from a true sophomore."
Whittingham added that Dale is a quick-study who has picked things up fast. After learning the ropes in limited action as a freshman — six tackles and a pass breakup over nine games — Whittingham said "something clicked" in spring ball.
Dale, he continued, then became a very effective player for the Utes.
"Any young player is going to learn on the job. But, I'll tell you what, he's a mature kid," Andersen said. "He's another example, in my opinion, of high school football in Texas.
"Those kids come in here and they understand spring football because they've gone through it," he explained. "They understand how to watch film — maybe not as extensively as we do it — but it is a different level of preparedness that those kids get when they're out in Texas."
Dale enthusiastically agrees.
"I definitely feel like Texas is above regular football," he said. "So it kind of gives me an advantage as far as the atmosphere and big-time football because I'm used to it now."
It's one of the reasons Utah recruits heavily in the Lone Star State. The Utes have nine Texans in the program, including projected
starters Robert Conley, Brian Johnson, Brice McCain and Dale.
"We've had a high percentage of our Texas players do very well for us," Whittingham said. "So that's why we're going to continue to hit Texas very hard."
It's an area of emphasis that Dale appreciates. In fact, it helped lure him to Utah.
"When I came on my trip I felt real comfortable here," he said.
"There were a few Texas kids already on the team, so it felt like home for the most part."
Dale's climb up Utah's depth chart, however, wasn't entirely home grown. He acknowledges learning a lot watching U. teammates Steve Tate and Casey Evans last season.
Tate, a returning senior and starter at free safety, has been a good resource for Dale. So much so, he said Tate is like having another coach — only this one is with him on the field.
All things considered, Dale feels prepared and is eager to begin the next chapter in his career.
"It's a great challenge for me," he said.
Season opener
Utah at Oregon State
Thursday, 8 p.m. (MT)
TV: FSN Utah Radio: 700AM
E-mail: dirk@desnews.com