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Show Utes' offense a mixed bag in season opener LJ LJ Uf_ Free Outdoor Screening at Red Butte Amphitheatre and Canyons Resort We asked. You voted. And the winner is... RYAN MCDONALD Sports Editor T k SOUND CITY OFFICIAL SELECTION SUN DANCE Directed by Dave Grohl FILM FESTIVAL 2013 Sundance Institute Summer Series Community Choice Winner A special thank you to the #SundanceLocals who voted! Wednesday, September 4, 8:45 P.M. I Red Butte Amphitheatre Friday, September 6, 8:45 P.M. I Canyons Resort Through interviews and performances with the legendary musicians and producers who worked at America's greatest unsung recording studio, Sound City, we explore the human element of music and the lost art of analog recording in an increasingly digital world. Sundance Institute gratefully acknowledges the generous support of: PRINCIPAL SPONSOR ZIONS BANK COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS PROMONTORY RRIS Canyons Resort, Red Butte Garden, The University of Utah #SundanceLocals Sundance.org/Utah Winia-61 ce hat was about as mixed a bag as anyone could have conjured up. When Dennis Erickson was hired last spring as Utah's cooffensive coordinator, visions of the Utes eventually becoming one of the more prolific offensive units in college football abounded in r Salt Lake City. After all, Erickson has built a reputation in both the college ranks and the NFL over the past few decades as an offensive genius. In Utah's first opportunity to show off its new schemes Thursday night, the results were less than satisfying — though there were certainly signs that Travis Wilson and company have the potential to excel this season. First, the bad. In the opening half against Utah State, the offense that was supposed to see the end zone frequently was rather anemic. For starters, the offensive line let the Aggie defense into the backfield on far too many occasions, forcing Wilson to improvise. The sophomore did manage to reel off i7 pass attempts by halftime, but he only connected on nine of them for 131 yards. Next, the running game was rather nonexistent at the outset. Kelvin York, who was expected to lead a platoon of four running backs this season, seemed slow recognizing holes that the line was opening up for him and had tallied just 3o yards on the ground after two quarters. Lastly, the wide receivers on whom the Utes are counting to step up in 2013 struggled out of the gate. Kenneth Scott got hurt early in the first quarter and didn't play the rest of the way. It was announced after the game that he'll miss the entire season. Dres Anderson hauled in just one catch for three yards in the first 3o minutes of play. At the break, Utah had scored just two touchdowns, both of them hi the first quarter. But the offense certainly wasn't all bad. The Utes did wind up posting 3o points and winning the game, after all. Wilson finished the contest with 302 yards passing on 17 completions. In the final two quarters, he connected on 8-of-n passes for 171 yards. Though Scott and Anderson weren't huge factors fellow wideouts Anthony Denham and Sean Fitzgerald were revelations, as Wilson found both on numerous big plays. Both Denham and Fitzgerald set career highs in receiving yards. As for the rushing attack, York didn't gain more yards in the second hall; but the platoon system wound up working. James "Bubba" Poole had some nice runs in the second frame and finished with 47 yards on the ground. Karl Williams added 4o and a touchdown. Even those visions of offensive beauty that have been in the minds of many around town throughout the summer materialized late in the third quartet After Williams recovered an onside kick with 223 to play in the frame, Wilson engineered a five play, 52 yardtouchdown drive that took just 89 seconds and gave Utah a lead it kept en route to victory. No, the Utes' offensive performance Thursday night wasn't fantastic, but neither was Rome after one day. Utah has a long way to climb after finishing io9th in the nation in total offense in 2012 and certainly has to get better as 2013 unfolds, but hi the end, its victory over Utah State was a good start. r.mcdonalda chronicle.utah.edu |