Utah Football: Complete 2018 season preview, prediction
By Zach Bigalke
Offense
Troy Williams sat out a year after transferring from Washington, but he emerged in 2016 as a critical cog for the Utes. But the quarterback lost his starting job in 2017 to sophomore Tyler Huntley. Williams still found his way into six games, though, and served as a safety valve when Huntley went down with injury in October.
Now Williams is gone and the offense is Huntley’s without question. Gone as well is guard Salesi Uhatafe, the most experienced player on last year’s offensive line. Utah’s offensive line was green in 2017, giving up three sacks and nearly seven and a half tackles for loss per game. More experience could help the team in 2018, but the loss of Uhatafe in the interior of the line will be a tough departure to endure.
The running game should at least be decent once again. Zack Moss rushed for 10 touchdowns and nearly 1200 yards on the ground as a sophomore. Now an upperclassman, Moss could get even more touches in 2018.
Focusing on the receivers
That is because Utah is going to be working with an unproven receiving corps this year. Darren Carrington II was the top Utes receiver in 2017 after transferring from Oregon. In his one year in Salt Lake City, Carrington had his most productive season at the college level. But that just makes his departure that much more painful for a group in transition.
Raelon Singleton, the second-favorite target of Utes quarterbacks in 2017, is also gone. Singleton did what Carrington did to the Ducks, leaving Salt Lake City before exhausting his eligibility and transferring as a graduate student to play his final year in college for the Houston Cougars.
That leaves Demari Simpkins and Samson Nacua as the only two receivers with substantive experience from last season. Utah also gets back Britain Covey, who hauled in over 500 receiving yards as a freshman in 2015 before going on his two-year LDS mission. The trio will all need to produce at a high level if Utah is going to have the type of balanced offense necessary to contend in the Pac-12 South.