Utah Football: Will Utes live up to lofty preseason 2019 hype?

Offense is finally healthy

Andy Ludwig returns to run the Utah offense, and this will be will be his third stop in Salt Lake City. He was a GA in 1992, and served as offensive coordinator from 2005-08. He’ll take over a unit that scored 28.1 points per game a year ago.

Running the ship for Ludwig will be quarterback Tyler Huntley. The captain threw for 1,788 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2018. He completed an efficient 64.1 percent of his attempts on the way to the Utes’ 9 wins. The volume of statistics isn’t high for Huntley, but he isn’t the one that will carry the load for this offense.

That is because Zack Moss is in the backfield. The running back eclipsed 1,000 yards and found the endzone 11 times last year. He’ll be the centerpiece of this offense, and he could be poised for big things in 2019.

On the outside, there is opportunity. The main veteran presence is Britain Covey. After spending two years on a Mormon mission, Covey returned in 2018 and had a strong season, but suffered a knee injury in the Pac-12 title game.

Aside from Covey, however, young players could see increased roles. Sophomore Jaylen Dixon will look to build on his 32 receptions from a year ago. Siaosi Mariner, Jameson Field, and Jake Jackson all depart, so those roles are open to be filled.

There is a bit of a challenge up front, however. The Utes must replace three of the five starters on the offensive line from a year ago. Paul Maile and Braeden Daniels, both redshirt freshmen, will start at right and left guard respectively.