I realize that preseason outlooks have a tendency to go through lots of changes throughout the season, but this is what I expect at least early on.

UTE FOOTBALL PREVIEW:

Over the past decade, the Utes have been quite the enigma to fans, media, and opposing coaches alike. The Utes can look invincible one week, and turn around and lose to a Division II team the next. Adding to the mystery this season is a new offensive coordinator, 4 new position coaches, and a load of unproven talent. If these mesh well, the Utes could find themselves contending for the MWC crown. If not, Ute fans will be forced to stomach their second straight losing season.

Offense: New Offensive Coordinator, Craig Ver Steeg, has a huge challenge before him. He must rebuild the once strong Ute offense, but do so with a cast of inexperienced players.

QB – The loss of two Senior playcallers (Darnell Arceneaux and T.D. Crowshaw) would generally be a cause for concern, but the Utes are stocked with young talent behind center. Sophomore Lance Rice is the current leader to assume the starting role after starting 3 games for the Utes last year. He will certainly be pushed in fall practice, though, by highly touted red-shirt freshman Brett Elliott and strong-armed Purdue transfer Ryan Breska.

RB – One thing that will ease the transition for the new QB will be a deep and extremely versatile backfield behind him. At half-back, the Utes return 2000 All-MWC performer Adam Tate, whose 238 lbs posed a lot of problems for conference defenders. He will be backed up by fellow bruiser, 221 lb Dameon Hunter, and Arizona State Transfer J.R. Peroulis whose “miniscule” 210 lb frame still manages to run 4.5 40’s. At Fullback, Senior Thomas Fortune looks to shoulder the bulk of the load.

WR – The loss of playmaker Stevonne Smith leaves an obvious hole at receiver. However, speedster Cliff Russell (4.25 in the 40) returns to provide the new QB with a viable deep-threat. After three solid years, Russell is ready to break out, but will likely need either JUCO Paris Jackson or Freshman Morgan Scalley to step up and keep him from constant double-teams. The Utes also return sure-handed Slot-Back Josh Lyman as a third-down receiver. The wild-card at this position could be Top-100 recruit Lynzell Jackson whose 4.4 speed coupled with his 6’3” height could make him quite the offensive weapon.

TE – The Utes will look to the tight end as more of an offensive option this year. In the past, the Tight End at Utah was merely another Offensive Lineman, but under Ver Steeg’s philosophy, the Tight Ends are more valuable beyond the line of scrimmage. Seniors Michael Richardson and Scott Price bring experience and size to the position, while Dennis Smith and Taz Decker bring the speed.

O-Line – Unquestionably, this is the strength of the Ute offense. Anchored by Pre-season All-American Doug Kaufusi, at Tackle, the Ute line is extremely big, strong, and experienced. Junior Jordan Gross, who lines up at the other Tackle position, continues to improve each year, and is starting to draw the attention of pro-scouts. Despite the talents of Kaufusi and Gross, Guard Sam White, who was recently granted a 6th year of eligibility for a medical hard-ship, provides the leadership for this group.

Defense: Despite a disappointing Win/Loss record last season, the defense ranked in the top 20 nationally in most statistical categories. If Defensive Coordinator Kyle Wittingham is able to replace key losses at linebacker and in the secondary, this unit looks to be strong once again,

D-Line – With a plethora of size and quality depth, this is certainly one of the top Defensive lines in the MWC if not the nation. The defensive line is anchored by 305 lb Senior Ma’ake Kemoeatu. He will be joined in the middle initially by Lauvale Sape or Cal transfer Kasey Jackson, but chances are good he’ll spend some quality time with his “Little” (310 lbs) brother, true Freshman Chris Kemoeatu. On the ends, Junior Garrett Smith, who led the team with 10 sacks last season, plays the “5 Technique” position with last season’s MWC Freshman of the Year Jason Kaufusi manning the “Open” end. Kaufusi may also see some time at Strong-side Linebacker, which will make way for Marcus Jones, a 250 lb Junior with 4.6 speed.

LB – There are a lot of question marks in the Line-Backing corps following the losses of Wes Taufuga and 3-year All-Conference performer Kautai Olevao. However, Junior Sheldon Deckart returns after leading the team in tackles a year ago. Jason Kaufusi, Zach Tune, and C.R. Dwinnel will join Deckart on the Strong-side and in the Middle. The Utes are also counting on JUCO OLB Dominic Payne and heralded Freshmen Steven Thompson and Marques Ledbetter to make immediate contributions.

Secondary – How does a team make up for the loss of All-American Andre Dyson? Well, having a Sophomore pre-season All-American is a good start. Arnold Parker is listed on the depth chart as a Strong Safety, but his 215 lb frame allows him to play Linebacker, while his 4.38 speed make him a good Bump-and-Run Cornerback. However, beyond Parker, the remainder of the secondary looks a little fuzzy. The coaching staff will be counting on Senior Cornerback Yohance Scott to step up and show the form that earned him JUCO All-American status two years ago. Hard-hitting Anthony White will start at Free Safety, but will be pushed by JUCO transfer Antwoine Sanders. D’Shaun Crockett, Quincy Watkins, and Arabin Justin will battle for time at the other Corner, though they could be pushed in the fall by highly regarded freshman Antonio Young. Bo Nagahi will step in to play the Nickel-back in the Utes’ 5 DB sets.

Special Teams:
Over the past several years, what the Ute kicking game has lacked in quality, it has more than made up for in entertainment value. Kicker Golden Whetman was relieved by Ryan Kaneshiro in the middle of last season after Whetman managed to hit a whopping ONE of his first 11 Field Goal Attempts. Kaneshiro fared better, connecting on 6 of 8 attempts, but doesn’t have the leg strength that Whetman has. Whetman will continue to handle the punting duties – if he hasn’t misplaced his helmet or forgotten to take the field.

The return game is a different story. The Ute return/kick-block squads have accounted for 10 Touchdowns a season over the past two years. Stevonne Smith was a big part of that success, but plenty of speedy replacements are available. Bo Nagahi will likely return punts, and could be joined by D’Shaun Crockett, Arabin Justin, or Arnold Parker on the kickoff return team.

Outlook:

Overall, the Utes have the talent to be competitive with most teams on any given Saturday, but that will be largely determined by how well the new system and players will be integrated. The Utes are extremely strong in the trenches, which always bodes well, but injuries and other intangibles can change things in a hurry. With a new system, and an influx of new blood, there’s really only one thing anyone can “know” about the Utes: You never know what you’re going to get.

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