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Utah Spring Football Practice Preview: 3 Storylines To Watch
Utah spring football practice preview for 2017. The Utes are looking to keep pace in the Pac-12, as Kyle Whittingham's team moves forward without star running back Joe Williams.
March 7, 2017
Utah spring football practice preview for 2017. The Utes are looking to keep pace in the Pac-12, as Kyle Whittingham’s team moves forward without star running back Joe Williams.
In 2016, Utah was unable to make it back-to-back seasons with double-digit victories, but they did end up with a 9-4 record. And it was all capped off with a 26-24 win over Indiana in the Foster Farms Bowl.
Despite some key injuries on both sides of the ball, the Utes were ranked as high as No. 11 in the AP Poll and finished the season at No. 23.
Now, Kyle Whittingham’s team will look to build upon last season and carry that momentum into 2017, as it prepares for a new college football season.
Here are three storylines to watch as Utah’s spring football practice starts Thursday.
Utah Spring Football Practice Storylines
1. Troy Williams’ Development
In his first season as the starting quarterback, Troy Williams wasn’t bad, but he could have been much, much better. Williams completed 53.1 percent of his passes for 2,757 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He was handed a tall task when the Utes asked him to replace Travis Wilson, but now he has a year under his belt and needs to take a step forward this spring.
Williams will need to establish chemistry early on with Demari Simpkins and Raelon Singleton this spring. Cory Butler and Tim Patrick are gone, so he’ll have to help them elevate into their increased roles within the offense. This is the time for Williams to step up and improve as a leader — let alone as a quarterback. If he can’t, Utah will be in trouble.
2. Replacing Joe Williams
He retired early on in the season. Then he came back and was accepted with open arms by his teammates. Joe Williams certainly didn’t let the Utes down when he returned to the team. In his first five games back, Williams rushed for 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns. One of those games was an absolute bruising performance against UCLA, where Williams rushed for 332 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries. What a beast.
Sadly, for Whittingham’s staff, that beast is gone. Now, they have to figure out a way to replace that production Williams supplied. Zack Moss will see a lot more carries this time around, and he’ll have to shoulder the load with Troy McCormick, who was banged up last season.
3. Defensive Anchor And Support
When Whittingham spoke with Campus Insiders early last season, he acknowledged how important then-sophomore linebacker Cody Barton was for the Utah defense. It went past the stat sheet and the total number of tackles. Barton emerged as a leader last year. He made sure everyone was where they needed to be, knew what they needed to know and led the charge for the Utes. He got hurt, too, but now he’s back and will have an opportunity to improve as a linebacker and settle in as the anchor of the Utah defense.
He’ll need help from guys like Chase Hansen, though. He led the team with 90 total tackles and will be a key player in the Utah secondary. His role will be increased with safety Marcus Williams headed to the NFL. The Utes had a lot of young pieces on defense last year, and it will be up to Barton to rally the troops.
Utah’s spring game is scheduled for April 15.
