Husky Football: Three Questions On Utah

Who Plays Quarterback for Utah?

For anyone who hasn’t been watching Utah football very closely, you may have missed a few things. First, Jordan Wynn started the year as the starter, which made a lot of sense considering he had a great deal of experience as a senior that first played in 2009. Then, in the second game of the year, he re-injured his shoulder and decided to retire from football. So, suddenly without a starting QB, Utah turned to Jon Hays, another senior who had played significantly in 2011. He didn’t play badly, but he also failed to ignite the struggling Utah offense, so the decision was made to give the starting job to freshman Travis Wilson. Wilson has definitely struggled at times, throwing 4 touchdowns to go with 5 interceptions while failing to pass for more than 220 yards in any single game, but he is improving. His 68% accuracy for the season is probably the most impressive thing about his game so far. He will, in my opinion, be challenged greatly by the Washington pass defense, but he also isn’t a disaster.

October 20, 2012; Corvallis, OR, USA; Utah Utes running back John White (15) runs the ball in the first quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-US PRESSWIRE

What Happened to John White?

This question may seem a little unfair to Utah fans, as John White hasn’t gone anywhere. He has missed one game this year, against BYU, but other than that, he has continued to serve as the starting running back for the Utes. However, after a decent start, that missed game to injury was followed by an 18 yard (on 14 carries) disaster against ASU and then three more games in a row without a 100 yards rushing. It was this rough stretch that had me asking this question in the first place. But things have changed in the past few weeks, and Washington must take White very seriously. In his past two games against California and Washington State, he has rushed for over 100 yards and two touchdowns both times. The UW defense, especially at home, is much more formidable than that of either of those teams, but John White still isn’t a back that can be dismissed or forgotten.

Who Will Handle Star Lotulelei?

Nobody. Or everybody. If that seems unclear, it’s because the answer itself is basically unknown. Obviously the fact that Lotulelei is an incredibly talented defensive tackle means that the interior offensive linemen for Washington will be in charge of containing him. In particular, it will be difficult for those linemen to move Lotulelei out of the way to clear holes for Sankey to run through. Simply put, Lotulelei doesn’t allow himself to be moved from where he wants to be. Expect him to blow up or at least to prevent the successful execution of at least a handful of individual plays, and expect to see double teams involving Center Drew Schaefer and the guards, as well as the back coming in to chip block him if he proves particularly disruptive. Right now, it’s tough to say whether or not any of Washington’s linemen are truly capable of “handling” him.