SALT LAKE CITY — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham continued to put on a poker face when it comes to the starting quarterback position. He declined to give a definitive answer as to whether it will be Tyler Huntley, Troy Williams or Cooper Bateman taking the initial snaps when the 23rd-ranked Utes face No. 13 USC Saturday in Los Angeles.
Whittingham said there’s a shot anybody could play after Tuesday’s practice.
“It’s competition. That’s how we operate,” he explained. “You compete for your spot, and you’ve got to perform and you’ve got to play up to certain expectations.”
When asked how the quarterbacks fared, Whittingham said “good” and little else. Pressed for a longer response, he added “let’s say even.”
Whittingham did note that Huntley was “day-to-day” in his recovery from an apparent shoulder injury suffered in the second quarter against Arizona on Sept. 22.
“if he’s ready to play, he’ll play,” Whittingham said. “If he’s not, he won’t. That’s the best I could say.”
Offensive coordinator Troy Taylor, however, was more forthcoming about the starting quarterback situation. He said that Williams came out to practice ready to battle and that Bateman is also being prepared to play as the No. 2 quarterback right now.
“But I’m confident that Troy’s going to go in and play great and lead us to victory and play well offensively,” Taylor said.
Williams noted that he doesn’t pay too much attention to all the talk about competing with Bateman in practice.
“I just know it’s a big bounce-back week for me and I’ve just got to stay positive and stay true to the system,” Williams added. “I know I’m going to bounce back. So I’m not worried about it.”
Bateman, meanwhile, acknowledged that he wasn’t told directly about the battle in practice this week. Other players told him about Whittingham’s comments in Monday’s press conference that both quarterbacks would get a shot in practice this week if Huntley is still sidelined.
“I don’t know really how much that means. We’ll see what happens this week,” Bateman said. “Troy, he’s still the starter right now. If the opportunity came up that I did play, yeah, I would be excited for sure.”
As is the case with Williams, Bateman noted that he’s preparing all week as if he’ll be the starter.
FIRST TIME: Freshman nickel back Javelin Guidry, who is from Murrieta, California, has never been to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. He grew up as a UCLA fan. His father and uncle were both Bruins. As such, Guidry acknowledged that he “kind of” disliked USC a “little bit” because of his parents.
Even so, there will be several familiar faces on the Trojans this weekend.
“I have lots of friends on the team, so it will be a fun game,” Guidry said. “We’ll work hard this week to get the game plan. Hopefully, we’ll have fun on Saturday.”
Adding to Guidry’s fun is this will be the first time some members of his family will be able to see him play for the Utes.
PRAISING DARNOLD: Despite having thrown nine interceptions already this season, USC quarterback Sam Darnold is still drawing a lot of praise from Whittingham.
"He is absolutely one of the best quarterbacks in the country and in my opinion should still be a Heisman Trophy candidate. What we see on film is an outstanding athlete and a great quarterback,” Whittingham said. “I know they had the setback against Washington State, but he is the whole package. What he is now compared to when we first saw him, you can see him getting better and better. He has progressed every week."
Contributing: Amy Donaldson
Email: dirk@deseretnews.com
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