A potent offense has Utes hopeful of a strong MWC campaign

Wednesday, 01 August 2007

No.44-University of Utah, Utes, Mountain West Conference, Odds to win a National Championship, none available.

Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham is heading into his third season at the school and expects an improvement on last years 3^rd place Mountain West Conference finish which could prove to be difficult. Last year, the Utes offense was ranked 33^rd nationally and has the potential to surpass that achievement in 2007.

The key to the Utah offense is the spread and they'll be asking returning junior quarterback Brian Johnson to run the show. Johnson was spectacular in 2005 until he suffered a torn ACL late in the season. He missed all of 2006 rehabbing his knee but he is back and ready to play. Since a key component to the spread is a mobile quarterback, the biggest unanswered question is how fast can Johnson run on his bum leg? Utah coach Kyle Whittingham says Johnson is back to 100% and just as quick as ever. We'll have to wait until September to see if that holds true.

The running back position looks a little shaky. One good piece of news for Utah is the return their leading rusher Daryl Poston. Poston didn't put up very good numbers last year, only 550 yards and 5 touchdowns. The often injured back isn't very big but he brings some good speed. Poston broke his foot in spring drills, so if he isn't ready to go this fall then the duties may fall to juco transfer Matt Asiata.

The receiving corps could use some playmakers and looks to find them with an experienced group that returns it's top six players. This squad will look to improve a lot this season. Marquis Wilson made the most out of the passes sent his way, including a 57-yard touchdown run against BYU.

Utah appears to be solid in its offensive line anchored by 6’7”, 320 lb junior Dustin Hensel. Jason Boone and Robert Conley along with Hensel look to have big seasons.

Things don’t look so good for the Utes defensively especially in the trenches. Sophomore defensive tackle Kenape Eliapo and senior DT Gabe Long will have some big shoes to fill after the departure of Paul Soliai and Kelly Talavou. The biggest asset defensively comes from the linebacking corps with a nice mix of speed, size and strength with the return of Joe Jiannoni, Malakai Mokofisi and Kyle Brady. This group will have to make up for the weaker defensive line.

The secondary will be led by cornerback Brice McCain who could be one of the best in the MWC. Beyond McCain, the Utes are thin on experience in the secondary and will depend on some junior college help. Steve Tate will need to step up at free safety for this unit to have much success.

For Utah to improve on last years third place finish a win over rival BYU will be paramount. While TCU appears to be the class of the league, second place will probably be who comes out on top in the BYU-Utah battle.