Three Takeaways From Utah's First Scrimmage Of Fall Camp
If nothing else, this past Saturday's scrimmage for Utah served as a floor as to where the team currently sits.
With less than three weeks until opening the college season on Nov. 7 against Arizona, the Utes have a lot of ground to make up on if they're to have a chance at a three-peat in the South Division.
“The offense overall had a good day. They probably had the better day of the two units,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “(The) defense gave some things up. We’ve got to get better at open-field tackling, gave up some gaps in the run game.”
Here are the three takeaways from Saturday's scrimmage and what to expect moving forward.
1.) QB Battle Coming Into Focus
According to Whittingham during his Monday morning press conference with media, he said that the quarterback competition is now done to two after reviewing the film from the scrimmage. But, he's not tipping his hat as to which two quarterbacks are still battling it out for the starter's role, with seniors Jake Bentley and Drew Lisk and sophomore Cam Rising all immersed in the competition.
The best guess is that Bentley and Rising are the two quarterbacks moving forward, as they've both drawn a lot of praise — Bentley in his time at South Carolina and Rising last year on the scout team.
There is another scrimmage planned for Saturday, and it will surely feature the top two quarterbacks going at it. It's estimated that Whittingham and his staff will determine a starter after the scrimmage and that person will get the majority of the repetitions over the final two weeks leading up to Nov. 7.
"Outstanding scrimmage as far as work done, lots of situational work, all three quarterbacks played well we'll reserve judgement til we watch film," Whittingham stated. "We have to, we can't afford not to trim down the quarterback reps. We just can't continue to sink reps into three of them, we have to trim it down, we don't have a choice."
2.) Offensive Playmakers Beginning To Shine
While it may be undetermined who's going to be the starting quarterback as of now, one thing that's very clear is that whoever is under center will have a plethora of weapons.
The battle to replace all-time great Zack Moss is going to be a three-man battle between Devin Brumfield, Jordan Wilmore and Ty Jordan, an electrifying freshman who is sure to see action this season.
The wide receivers are also starting to shine, as Bryan Thompson looks like a brand new player after spending the offseason transforming his body to be the best he can be.
Bryan Thompson, Utah wide receiver
"He looks great. He looks about as good as a wide receiver can look. He is 205-pounds and ripped up," Whittingham said. "He's also performing very well in addition and is one of our top guys on the outside. So he needs to be commended on the conscientious effort he has made to get himself to as good as he possibly can be physically. ... It is translating. He was a good receiver to begin with, but he has taken it to another level."
Thompson isn't the only pass catcher to shine thus far, as Whittingham pointed out five others who've really stepped up in camp and at the scrimmage.
"The wide receiver crew is getting a little thin but Solomon Enis, Bryan Thompson, and Britain Covey are all doing nice things. Money Parks has done some good things for us, oh and Samson Nacua is having an outstanding camp, Devaughn Vele as well," Whittingham noted.
3.) True Freshmen On Defense Rising Up
A lot of talk has been made all offseason about true freshman cornerback Clark Phillips III, and for good reason. He's the highest-rated prospect to ever commit and play for the Utes, and he's been a bright spot on the field thus far.
But he's far from the only true freshman making his mark.
Freshman safety Nate Ritchie has drawn comparisons to former Utah great Chase Hansen, a fellow Lone Peak High School star. Whittingham has gone out of his way to mention how much Ritchie reminds him of his former star, and that's a lofty comparison.
“Skillset first and foremost he’s got size, he’s got speed, he’s a physical player, he’s intelligent and so just his ability across the board is really what sets him apart,” Whittingham said. “He’s a guy that has a great football IQ as well and he’s instinctive and so all the things you look for in a safety Nate possesses. I’ve compared him to Chase Hansen, I still will make that comparison as far as the type of player that he is and and the impact that he can have. Know he’s just a true freshman. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him right now but he’s he’s a guy you’re going to see on the field and see quite a bit.”
Ritchie is definitely in the running to earn a starting safety spot, battling it out with R.J. Hubert and Vonte Davis, the two players listed as starters in the first depth chart released.
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