Utah’s coaches have been extra busy in the film room ahead of the Utes’ opening game at UCLA.
They’re not just watching UCLA tape, though, they’re watching Tennessee tape, they’re watching Indiana film, they’re likely watching Cal tape too.
Such is life for coaches in the new era of college football, where the only constant is change.
Part of the intrigue of Utah’s first game of the season lies in the unknown, and both teams have that in spades.
Both UCLA and Utah are coming off 5-7 seasons in their new conferences (the Bruins in the Big Ten and the Utes in the Big 12), feature transfer quarterbacks and transfer running backs as starters, and have new offensive coordinators.
All of the changes mean the Utes (especially offensively) and the Bruins look almost nothing like they did when they last matched up in 2023 — a 14-7 Utah win at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
“(UCLA’s) program is very familiar to us, although I venture to say probably 90% of the players are different from what we played two years ago the last time,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “So even though we’re very familiar with the venue and the program, it’ll be very new as far as personnel, guys we’re going to face.”
Headlining the Bruins’ new personnel is quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who helped Tennessee to the College Football Playoff and a 10-2 record last season.
Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns (with five interceptions) with a 63.8% completion rate and added 358 yards and three scores on the ground.
He reportedly held out of the end of Tennessee’s spring practices over a revenue-sharing contract dispute, and in the end the Volunteers let him walk. The Bruins, in need of a quarterback, were happy to sign him.
The Big 12 is a league full of good quarterbacks, but Iamaleava could rank up there as the best the Utes will play all season.
“He’s a playmaker. He can throw the ball, he can run the ball. He’s a true dual-threat guy. He’s a tough runner too. He’s not looking for a place to fall down or step out of bounds,” Whittingham said. “He dips his shoulder and has some physicality to his runs.”
Iamaleava is a dual-threat quarterback, which the Utes’ defense has had a lot of practice against while practicing vs. new Ute QB Devon Dampier.
As for who Iamaleava is going to throw the ball to, there’s former Ute slot receiver Mikey Matthews (272 yards on 32 receptions at Cal last year), Kwazi Gilmer (345 yards on 31 receptions at UCLA last season) and Titus Mokiao-Atimalala (294 yards on 28 receptions at UCLA last season).
At running back will likely be Jaivian Thomas, who rushed for 626 yards and seven touchdowns on 100 carries at Cal last year.
Like Utah, the Bruins are pretty much guaranteed to have a better offensive year than last year, when UCLA scored just 18.4 points per game.
The Bruins are attempting to rectify that with the bevy of transfers, plus new offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri, who guided Indiana to the No. 2 scoring offense in college football last season (41.3 points per game).
The most intriguing matchup in Saturday night’s contest will be in the trenches, where a completely revamped UCLA offensive line will face a Utah defensive line featuring a new starter at defensive end, plus Dallas Vakalahi and Aliki Vimahi inheriting full-time starter duties.
The Bruins averaged a paltry 86.6 rushing yards per game last season and allowed 34 sacks. The only returning starter from last year’s offensive line is right tackle Garrett DiGornio. Left tackle Courtland Ford (Kentucky) played 42 snaps last season and left guard Eugene Brooks (Oklahoma), center Oluwafunto Akinshilo and right guard Julian Armella (Florida State) did not play.
UCLA’s offensive line has size and height, but it might be asking a lot for an inexperienced front five to gel right away against a Utah defensive line.
Defensively, there’s plenty of new faces in Westwood, as UCLA will likely line up on Saturday without a returning starter from last season’s unit.
Some of the top transfers into UCLA include Arkansas defensive end Nico Davillier, who has been dealing with personal issue and may or may not play on Saturday, and Oregon State cornerback Andre Johnson Jr.
Like UCLA’s offensive line, all eyes will be on the Bruins’ defensive front. Defensive end Devin Aupiu (47 PFF grade last season) and defensive tackle Siale Taupaki (56.6 PFF grade last season) will need to up their game from last year.
Defensive tackle Gary Smith III, who missed all of last season with an injury, is expected to start and Keanu Williams, another player who missed the vast majority of the season, could play big roles.
Utah’s offensive line will provide an early test for the Bruins.
Like UCLA, there’s plenty of new faces on the Utes’ offense.
A new quarterback (Devon Dampier), a new running back (Wayshawn Parker) and new receivers (Tobias Merriweather, Larry Simmons, Ryan Davis and Creed Whittemore).
“He’s a playmaker. He can throw the ball, he can run the ball. He’s a true dual-threat guy. He’s a tough runner too. He’s not looking for a place to fall down or step out of bounds. He dips his shoulder and has some physicality to his runs.”
— Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava
Utah believes that Dampier, behind a veteran Ute offensive line that returns all five starters, is the quarterback that can reverse the offensive struggles of the past two seasons.
On Saturday, he’ll get his first chance to prove it.
There’s plenty of unknowns for both teams in the opener, but on early Sunday morning, after the dust from the first game of the season has settled, both teams will have learned a lot about themselves.
“Like any opener, there’s a lot of unknowns. Even when you are playing a team that has had very little turnover, there’s still a lot of unknowns and things that you’re going to have to adjust for in-game, not in halftime, well before that,” Whittingham said.
“So there may be some adjustments we have to make very likely in the first quarter. Typically in an opener teams that do the best job of that have the best chance of winning. So hopefully we will be on our game as far as that goes.”
