Utah’s second scrimmage was met with approval from the boss.
The Utes ran over 100 plays Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium, and head coach Kyle Whittingham liked what he saw on the field, calling it a good scrimmage and a big improvement from the previous week.
While Whittingham said it needed to happen, he also stressed that his team is not ready to play and has a lot of cleanup to do on both sides of the ball before the Nov. 7 season opener against Arizona.
“But we made a ton of progress,” said Whittingham, who noted that the offense is still ahead of the defense at this point. The latter is breaking in nine new starters.
“That’s the last extensive live work before we line up and play two weeks from today. We’ll have a few live sessions here and there next week and then that will definitely be it,” Whittingham said. “The next week, obviously, will be game week prepping, and away we go. So I feel good about where we are.”
That’s the quick assessment after what Whittingham described as a “full day’s work” and positioned the team “pretty good” for the final practices.
“But like I said, we’ve got to take another big jump this week and really get ready for that game.”
Although no update was provided as far as primary snaps between Jake Bentley, Drew Lisk and Cam Rising, Whittingham was pleased with the quarterback play in the scrimmage. He said it bordered on outstanding. The Utes hope to name a starter internally on Monday. They also have the luxury of waiting a couple of more days.
“Wednesday or Thursday would be absolutely the time that we have to come to a conclusion,” Whittingham said, “but if we get it done on Monday, that’s great. We’ll see what happens.”
While that position takes shape, battles are still ensuing for the linebacker spot opposite Devin Lloyd. The secondary, where all five starters must be replaced, is also not completely solidified yet.
“We’ve got it honed down and we’ve got things more focused,” said Whittingham, who explained there are fewer candidates in the mix as decisions are being made.
Running back is also being tightly contested. Whittingham said Devin Brumfield, Jordan Wilmore, Micah Bernard and Ty Jordan are doing a great job.
The offensive line, receivers and tight ends also received praise. The latter is an extreme position of strength for the Utes with Brant Kuithe, Cole Fotheringham and San Diego transfer Dalton Kincaid headlining the group. Kincaid is practicing but is waiting for NCAA clearance to play in games.
Ben Lennon continues to be the frontrunner at punter, while Jadon Redding and Jordan Noyes continue to battle for kicking duties. It’s a competition that Whittingham said could be waged right up until game day.
EXTRA POINTS: Lloyd was among a handful of projected starters who did not participate in the scrimmage. Whittingham said Lloyd is game ready and a proven commodity, thus, they’re being careful with him. Kuithe, Fotheringham and defensive end Mika Tafua were also held out . . . Defensive tackle Viane Moala and offensive lineman Nick Ford saw limited action . . . Freshman defensive back Clark Phillips III is seeing more time on the outside after getting familiar at nickel back earlier in camp. He’s expected to be a starting cornerback . . . Whittingham said the deep offensive line is at its best with the versatile Ford at left tackle.