Utah entered the 2022 season with its highest preseason ranking ever — No. 7 — looking to do something the program had never done — win back-to-back Pac-12 championships.
“The challenge was trying to repeat. Through some unique circumstances, we were able to do that and take another step forward. We’ve just got to keep evolving and keep progressing and stay on this trajectory.” — Kyle Whittingham
Despite some heartbreaking losses and devastating injuries along the way, the Utes repeated as Pac-12 champs, and returned to the Rose Bowl.
“It’s another step in the right direction in the evolution of our program. We’re a program that’s still hopefully on the rise and trying to make our mark in college football,” said coach Kyle Whittingham. “We had the breakthrough last year with our first Pac-12 championship. We were preaching to the team all year long this offseason and all through fall camp how it is harder to stay on top than it is to get to the top.
“The challenge was trying to repeat. Through some unique circumstances, we were able to do that and take another step forward. We’ve just got to keep evolving and keep progressing and stay on this trajectory.”
Now, talk about a three-peat has begun for Utah, which finished No. 10 in the final Associated Press poll. It marks the program’s highest final ranking since finishing No. 2 following the 2008 season, when the Utes went undefeated and won the Sugar Bowl.
On Monday, quarterback Cam Rising announced that he, and tight end Brant Kuithe, are returning for the 2023 campaign.
“Everything just feels right about coming back. We have a great coaching staff with some great players,” Rising said on an NIL podcast, explaining his decision. “I know everyone is going to be itching to go out there and really go a step above winning the Pac-12 championship. I know everyone will be up to the test and we’ll be looking forward to working for it and attacking everything next year.”
Offensive lineman Keaton Bills is optimistic about where the program is headed.
“The future only gets brighter from here. We’re doing a lot of great things now and we’ve done a lot of great things,” he said. “But I think there are a lot of great things to come.”
Presuming that Rising, who suffered an injury in the Rose Bowl, is healthy, the Utes will be mentioned among Pac-12 favorites and College Football Playoff contenders.
2022 recap
Utah opened the season with high expectations and national hype. It was regarded as a CFP contender and landed No. 7 in the preseason Associated Press poll — its highest in school history.
The Utes could have proceeded carefully with a home game tuneup against an FCS opponent to open the season. Instead, they challenged themselves with a road game against a traditional SEC power, Florida.
Utah came up short in the final minute against the Gators at The Swamp, falling 29-26 in a game that exposed liabilities in the Ute defense.
A few weeks later, Utah lost one of its best playmakers, Kuithe, to a season-ending knee injury.
The Utes suffered their first Pac-12 defeat in a 42-32 loss at UCLA. At that point, many wondered if Utah was up to the task of repeating as Pac-12 champs.
After that game, wide receiver Devaughn Vele was asked about how different it was as defending Pac-12 champs.
“It’s very different. Obviously, this is the first time in program history that we have been the Pac-12 reigning champions. So it’s a lot of trial and error. But we have great coaches and great players. We understand what’s at stake here,” he said. “Obviously, we know that we can be better than our record shows for this season. We have a lot of young guys but we’re doing our very best to make sure that we’re approaching every day going 100% and understanding that we do have that chip on our shoulder because we were Pac-12 champions.
“But we can’t let that be the reason why we get complacent. … We understand that every game is going to be the team giving it their very best against us. We can be better at responding to that kind of energy that we’re getting in every single game. It’s a work in progress. I have faith in my teammates and my coaches that we will bounce back.”
And the Utes did bounce back. One week after losing to the Bruins, they knocked off then-No. 7 USC at home, rallying from a two-touchdown deficit and winning in the final moment, 43-42, capped by a TD and two-point conversion by Rising.
But that win came at a price. Even with a bye week after that memorable win against the Trojans, Rising missed the following game at Washington State due to injury.
That marked Utah’s most bizarre, and most underrated, victory of the season. Whittingham said he didn’t know that Rising would not be available until about 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Bryson Barnes made his first career start and helped lead the Utes to a 21-17 win.
After lopsided home wins against Arizona and Stanford, Utah faced No. 12 Oregon on the road. Ducks quarterback Bo Nix had suffered an injury a week before in a loss to Washington, but he played anyway. And in a defensive struggle, Oregon edged Utah 20-17.
At that point, it appeared the Utes’ hopes of another Pac-12 title were all but over.
But a door to the Pac-12 championship game was cracked open — and Utah slipped through it.
In the final week of the regular season, the Utes needed four outcomes to go their way, and they all did.
Surprisingly, Utah had earned a spot in Las Vegas against No. 4 USC.
Just like the first meeting between the two teams, the Utes fell behind by two touchdowns before outscoring the Trojans 44-7 over the final 42 minutes at Allegiant Stadium in a 47-23 triumph.
In Utah’s second consecutive Rose Bowl appearance, it was tied with Penn State at halftime. But in the second half, two long touchdown plays spelled the difference, and the Nittany Lions seized a 35-21 win.
And the Utes finished with a 10-4 record for the second straight season.
“Our guys played hard, though. Proud of them. We just have to keep coming back to this game until we get it right,” Whittingham said. “Took us three times in the Pac-12 championship before we got the win, so we’ve got to make sure that we try to continue to get better — I know the landscape is changing. The Rose Bowl is not going to be in the traditional spot, but whatever New Year’s Six bowl we can get back to, we’ve got to figure that out, or the CFP, one of the two.”
Whittingham is excited about what’s in store in 2023.
“Love the team that we’ve got coming back next year. Got a lot of talented players, and looking forward to working with them. A lot of positives this season. Back-to-back Pac-12 championships, 10-win seasons,” he said. “Only been done, I believe, six or seven times in the program’s history, and second appearance in the Rose Bowl. As disappointed as we are and as bitter as this is, still a lot to build on, and definitely the season overall was a step in the right direction for our program. We’ve got to continue that. That’s where we’re at.”
2023 schedule
Next season, Utah will benefit from seven home games. The Pac-12 has not released the dates for league games, the Utes’ home and road games have been announced.
Utah opens the season Sept. 2 at home against Florida and it hosts Weber State on Sept. 16. The Utes’ Pac-12 home games are against Arizona State, California, Colorado, Oregon and UCLA.
Utah is undefeated the past two seasons at home.
The Utes’ road games are at Baylor (Sept. 9), Arizona, Oregon State, USC and Washington.
Recruiting
If all the good things that happened for Utah in 2022 weren’t enough, the program signed its highest-ranked recruiting class in program history.
“Feel really good about the signing class, typical of what we say each year, but this year according to websites and services is probably the best class we’ve ever signed statistically,” Whittingham said.
The Utes’ 2023 class is headlined by six consensus four-star players — offensive tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu; edge rusher Hunter Clegg; cornerback CJ Blocker; and running backs John Randle Jr. and Dijon Stanley.
Meanwhile, cornerback Smith Snowden is another prized recruit who is also regarded as a four-star recruit by two recruiting websites.
Offense
Clearly, when Rising was healthy, Utah’s offense rolled. The Utes averaged 40 points per game during the regular season.
In 2022, Rising completed 249 of 385 passes for 3,034 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed 77 times for 465 yards and six TDs.
“He’s a leader on the field and off the field,” Vele said. “He’s someone you can look to and get behind. You want to follow him. It’s a credit to him what he’s been able to do for this team.”
Speedy freshman quarterback Nate Johnson showed a glimpse of his potential late in the season. He’ll continue to develop behind Rising next fall.
As an offense, Utah ranked No. 11 nationally in scoring and No. 18 in total offense (466.9 ypg).
The return of Kuithe is a huge boost for the Utes’ offense in 2023. Dalton Kincaid, who caught 16 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown in the home win over USC, has declared for the NFL draft. Thomas Yassmin will also return.
At running back, it was a tumultuous season. Tavion Thomas, a 1,000-yard rusher in 2021, missed several games in 2022. He ended up running for 687 yards and seven touchdowns, but he declared for the draft before the regular-season finale at Colorado.
Also, Micah Bernard, Utah’s second-leading rusher (533 yards), and Ricky Parks, a four-star recruit, have entered the transfer portal.
But the Utes seem to be in good shape at that position with Ja’Quinden Jackson and Jaylon Glover. Jackson opened the season as a backup quarterback but ended up running for 531 yards and nine touchdowns.
Vele (55 catches, 695 yards, 5 touchdowns), Money Parks (26 catches, 414 yards, 2 touchdowns) return. But the Utes are looking for a new receivers coach after Chad Bumphis returned to his alma mater, Mississippi State.
On the offensive line, left tackle Braeden Daniels, who will be playing in the Senior Bowl, is projected as an NFL draft pick while center Paul Maile has entered the transfer portal.
Returning on the O-line are Bills, Michael Mokofisi and Sataoa Laumea.
Defense
Utah’s defense experienced a lot of ups and downs in 2022.
The Utes finished No. 27 nationally in total defense (334.1 ypg) and No,. 27 in scoring defense (21.4 ppg).
Utilizing a few new and young players, it took a while for Utah to find its groove. Utah had a bunch of missed tackles and missed assignments in the season-opener at Florida. The Utes struggled at other times as well.
In the Rose Bowl, Utah gave up a historic 88-yard touchdown pass, the longest in the game’s storied history, and an 87-yard TD run in the second half.
Of course, the Utes missed their All-America cornerback, Clark Phillips III, who declared for the draft and opted out of the Rose Bowl.
Phillips turned in a sensational season for Utah, with six interceptions and six pass breakups. For his career, Phillips recorded 10 picks and four pick-sixes.
But the Utes have a lot of young talent returning, including linebackers Karene Reid and Lander Barton; defensive linemen Junior Tafuna, Jonah Elliss, Simote Pepa and Van Fillinger (who suffered a season-ending injury); safeties Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki; and cornerbacks Zemaiah Vaughn and JaTravis Broughton.
Reid has enjoyed watching the progress of Utah’s young defensive players.
“Some of them, I barely recognize them as football players since spring ball. It’s really impressive,” he said. “Just being around the older guys — I was a young guy last year and had to learn quick. The game doesn’t wait for you. They’ve been able to adapt really well.”
Safety Nate Ritchie, who started during the pandemic-impacted 2020 season, has recently returned home from his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is enrolled in classes and will participate in spring practices.
Special teams
Utah’s kicking game had its issues throughout the season.
The Utes are hoping that Colorado transfer Cole Becker will solve that problem next season.
The 6-foot-3 kicker out of Roseville, California, hit 11 of 13 field goals during the 2022 season, with a long of 49 yards, while connecting on 20 of 21 extra points.
Becker made 25 of 33 field goals at Colorado, with a long of 56, and 45 of 46 extra points over the past two years and he had touchbacks on 67% of his 94 kickoffs.
Utah’s 2022 results
Sept. 3 — Florida 29, Utah 26
Sept. 10 — Utah 73, Southern Utah 7
Sept. 17 — Utah 35, San Diego State 7
Sept. 24 — Utah 34, Arizona State 13
Oct. 1 — Utah 42, Oregon State 16
Oct. 8 — UCLA 42, Utah 32
Oct. 15 — Utah 43, USC 42
Oct. 27 — Utah 21, Washington State 17
Nov. 5 — Utah 45, Arizona 20
Nov. 12 — Utah 42, Stanford 7
Nov. 19 — Oregon 20, Utah 17
Nov. 26 — Utah 63, Colorado 21
Dec. 2 — Utah 47, USC 24 (Pac-12 championship game)
Jan. 2 — Penn State 35, Utah 21 (Rose Bowl)