The big 2014 Utah football guide: Improved Utes face a nasty schedule

Confused? Check out the advanced-stats glossary here.

1. Invisible improvement

In terms of F/+ ratings, Utah had regressed every year since 2008. The Utes ranked 11th in the country that year, at plus-24.3 percent (above average). That became plus-12.6 in 2009, then plus-11.6 in 2010. It began to fall more rapidly, to plus-1.2 percent in 2011, then minus-3.8 in 2012.

Head coach Kyle Whittingham still had a job because of the heights he had achieved from 2007-10, when the Utes won 42 games, at least nine each year. But it had become more and more difficult to be too optimistic about the direction of the program, especially after the Utes joined the Pac-12 in 2011.

In so many ways, 2013 was a rebirth. For the first time since 2010, the Utah offense actually gave the defense some help, especially over the first half of the season (before quarterback Travis Wilson went down with injury). The defense played at a top-30 level, just as it had in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011. Special teams was still solid. The Utes turned in the right direction overall ... and still went 5-7, just as they had in 2011.

Wilson's injury created a drastic downturn in Utah's offensive production; plus, the Pac-12 was just absurdly good in 2013. The Utes lost a thrilling nailbiter against Oregon State early in the season (Wilson's best and worst game), nearly knocked off UCLA in Salt Lake City, and fell by just a single point to eventual Pac-12 South champion Arizona State. Those three losses, some horrific turnovers luck (minus-5.3 points per game, easily the worst in the country), and the offensive dregs of the second half of the season, prevented casual fans from noticing too much growth, and Utah enters Year 4 in the Pac-12 having gone just 18-19 since the move.

Still, the growth of 2013 was obvious on paper, and with a lot returning (including a healthy-for-now Wilson), it's not hard to see Utah taking another solid step forward in 2014.

That's the good news. The bad news: the Pac-12 probably isn't getting any worse anytime soon. The hill seems to get steeper for the Utes each year, but at least they do have some traction this time around.

2013 Schedule & Results

Record: 5-7 | Adj. Record: 7-5 | Final F/+ Rk: 31
Date	Opponent	Opp. F/+ Rk	Score	W-L	Adj. Score	Adj. W-L	5-gm Adj. Avg.
29-Aug	Utah State	32	30-26	W	43.4 - 34.5	W
7-Sep	Weber State	N/A	70-7	W	42.6 - 19.6	W
14-Sep	Oregon State	42	48-51	L	38.2 - 27.5	W
21-Sep	at BYU	30	20-13	W	33.6 - 16.4	W
3-Oct	UCLA	15	27-34	L	26.3 - 21.5	W	12.9
12-Oct	Stanford	3	27-21	W	36.9 - 28.3	W	12.9
19-Oct	at Arizona	25	24-35	L	21.7 - 24.2	L	7.7
26-Oct	at USC	11	3-19	L	13.0 - 14.4	L	5.3
9-Nov	Arizona State	13	19-20	L	13.4 - 16.5	L	1.3
16-Nov	at Oregon	5	21-44	L	23.9 - 25.1	L	0.1
23-Nov	at Washington State	53	37-49	L	27.4 - 38.1	L	-3.8
30-Nov	Colorado	95	24-17	W	20.9 - 20.3	W	-3.2

Category	Offense	Rk	Defense	Rk	Spec. Tms.	Rk
F/+	+5.1%	42	+7.3%	30	+1.5%	39
Points Per Game	29.2	65	28.0	73
Adj. Points Per Game	28.4	67	23.9	28

2. The proverbial brick wall

Utah finished a healthy 31st in the F/+ rankings last year, but the Utes never really played like the No. 31 team in the country.

For five games, they were a legitimate top-20 squad, losing two frustrating games because of turnovers -- Travis Wilson was either unlucky with the turnovers or throws such a catchable ball that even defenders can't drop them -- and late-game drama. They tied Oregon State with 21 seconds left but lost in OT; then, down seven against UCLA, they drove to the Bruin 23 with 26 seconds left but failed on fourth down. They were minus-seven in turnovers in those two games and still almost went 2-0. That's both encouraging and mortifying. More encouraging: the Utes beat Stanford the week after the UCLA game.

But then Wilson hit a drastic slump (14-for-44 passing with six picks against Arizona, USC, and ASU), then was deemed was lost for the season when, while he was being evaluated for concussion issues, it was determined that he had a pre-existing injury to an intracranial artery. He was held out of the rest of the season, and while he was cleared to play again this summer, Utah's season pretty much ended when Wilson's A-game said goodbye.

• Adj. Points Per Game (first 6 games): Utah 36.8, Opponent 24.6 (plus-12.2)
• Adj. Points Per Game (last 6 games): Opponent 23.1, Utah 20.1 (minus-3.0)

Without Wilson, neither the run nor the pass worked. New starter Adam Schulz was able to make some big plays here and there (13.4 yards per completion), but his completion rate was over 52 percent just once in five games (it was 58 percent against Colorado), and after averaging at least 5.7 yards per play in five of the first six games of the season (including three times against good Utah State, BYU, and Stanford defenses), the Utes did so just once in the final six. The defense actually improved a bit down the stretch, and it didn't matter.

Offense

FIVE FACTORS -- OFFENSE
	Raw Category		Rk	Opp. Adj. Category		Rk
EXPLOSIVENESS	IsoPPP	1.26	16	IsoPPP+	115.9	8
EFFICIENCY	Succ. Rt.	36.9%	113	Succ. Rt. +	97.9	69
FIELD POSITION	Def. Avg. FP	29.9	67	Def. FP+	102.4	30
FINISHING DRIVES	Pts. Per Trip in 40	4.4	47	Redzone S&P+	97.3	74
TURNOVERS	EXPECTED	21.4		ACTUAL	25	+3.6

Category	Yards/ Game Rk	S&P+ Rk	Success Rt. Rk	PPP+ Rk
OVERALL	76	51	70	40
RUSHING	72	58	62	44
PASSING	62	40	74	45
Standard Downs		30	63	6
Passing Downs		74	72	38

Q1 Rk	46	1st Down Rk	17
Q2 Rk	29	2nd Down Rk	73
Q3 Rk	23	3rd Down Rk	67
Q4 Rk	98

3. All of the former head coaches

Last offseason, Kyle Whittingham added former Arizona State (and everywhere else) head coach Dennis Erickson to his staff to plump up the experience and potential of the offense, and it worked out pretty well overall. This offseason, he moved Erickson to running backs coach and added former Wyoming head coach (and former Missouri offensive coordinator) Dave Christensen. That bumps the total head coaching experience of the offensive assistants from 29 years to 34. Good luck finding a total larger than that.

Christensen's addition is interesting. He helped Gary Pinkel install the spread at Missouri, and he ran his own pass-first version at Wyoming. Erickson certainly isn't averse to spreading defenses out, but I'm curious what the two of them will come up with for a Utes offense that does feature a big, solid dual-threat in Travis Wilson and all-or-nothing running back Bubba Poole but must replace three of last year's top four targets. Erickson went for the jugular last season with the pass (top three targets: 17.2 yards per catch, 53 percent catch rate) while Christensen was more efficiency-first (top six Wyoming targets: 11.5 per catch, 66 percent).

Quarterback

Note: players in bold below are 2014 returnees. Players in italics are questionable with injury/suspension.

Player	Ht, Wt	2014 Year	Rivals	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT	Comp Rate	Sacks	Sack Rate	Yards/ Att.
Travis Wilson	6'7, 240	Jr.	3 stars (5.7)	133	237	1827	16	16	56.1%	17	6.7%	6.8
Conner Manning	6'1, 190	RSFr.	3 stars (5.5)
Adam Schulz	6'1, 210	Jr.	NR	75	154	1008	6	5	48.7%	7	4.3%	5.9
Brandon Cox	6'2, 200	RSFr.	3 stars (5.7)
Kendal Thompson (Oklahoma)	6'1, 199	Jr.	3 stars (5.7)	4	13	64	1	1	30.8%	0	0.0%	4.9
Donovan Isom	6'4, 240	Fr.	3 stars (5.6)

4. La Trav and big plays

IsoPPP+ is an opponent-adjusted look at the magnitude of a team's big plays (or the big plays it allows); Utah ranked eighth in IsoPPP+ last season. When the Utes broke a big gain, it was a huge one. But over the second half of the season, the big ones were minimal. Bubba Poole averaged 5.2 yards per carry over the first six games and 2.6 over the last six. Dres Anderson averaged 21.1 yards per catch with five touchdowns in the first six and 16.4 with two in the last six.

Travis Wilson and tennis player Gael Monfils don't have a lot in common. They play different sports, they hail from different countries, and while they're both tall (Monfils is 6'4, Wilson 6'7), Wilson is bigger and beefier. But neither of them tend to do the mundane very well. La Monf is known for putting together some of the most spectacular shots you've ever seen ... and attempting to make far too many shots the most spectacular you've ever seen. I assume it's obvious where I'm going with this.

One of every 7.5 passes that Travis Wilson threw last year was either a touchdown or an interception. He took a few too many sacks and averaged 7.4 yards per carry. He threw three interceptions against Oregon State and six against UCLA, and he still almost led the Utes to wins in both games (and I do mean "led" -- he made almost as many great plays as awful ones). About Monfils, I've written that watching him is like watching your little brother -- you are absolutely thrilled when he wins, and you find yourself saying "Oh no, Gael. No, no. Get it together, Gael," rather frequently. Pretty sure I was saying the same thing during last year's Oregon State game.

Assuming Wilson is healthy for all of 2014, his ability to dial back when necessary could be the key to Utah's season. (And if he's not healthy, then the battle between Adam Schulz, Oklahoma transfer Kendal Thompson, and a bunch of freshmen could be interesting.) It is something Monfils has never fully learned, and getting rid of bad habits can get rid of some good ones as well, but Christensen's influence could be key here. He has been in charge of both exciting dual threats (Brett Smith at Wyoming, Brad Smith at Missouri) and robotic spread distributors (Missouri's Chase Daniel). How he and Erickson choose to use Wilson, and how much Wilson can avoid trying to play the hero, might make the difference of a win or two.

Above all else, though? Wilson might be the most fun quarterback in the country to watch, especially if you don't have a stake in the outcome. I was legitimately sad when he went out last year; hopefully it doesn't happen again.

Running Back

Player	Pos.	Ht, Wt	2014 Year	Rivals	Rushes	Yards	TD	Yards/ Carry	Hlt Yds/ Carry	Opp. Rate
Bubba Poole	RB	6'1, 197	Jr.	NR	149	607	2	4.1	6.3	26.8%
Kelvin York	RB				118	463	6	3.9	3.4	32.2%
Travis Wilson	QB	6'7, 240	Jr.	3 stars (5.7)	64	474	5	7.4	7.2	48.4%
Lucky Radley	RB				59	289	2	4.9	5.7	33.9%
Adam Schulz	QB	6'1, 210	Jr.	NR	18	132	1	7.3	7.1	44.4%
Karl Williams	RB				15	51	1	3.4	4.5	26.7%
Marcus Williams	RB				10	40	1	4.0	1.7	50.0%
Dres Anderson	WR	6'2, 190	Sr.	3 stars (5.6)	8	30	1	3.8	8.5	12.5%
Dre'Vian Young	RB	5'9, 174	RSFr.	3 stars (5.6)
Troy McCormick	RB	5'9, 172	RSFr.	3 stars (5.5)

Receiving Corps

Player	Pos.	Ht, Wt	2014 Year	Rivals	Targets	Catches	Yards	Catch Rate	Target Rate	%SD	Yds/ Target	NEY	Real Yds/ Target	RYPR
Dres Anderson	WR	6'2, 190	Sr.	3 stars (5.6)	105	53	1002	50.5%	29.2%	43.0%	9.5	271	10.8	146.6
Sean Fitzgerald	WR				61	32	471	52.5%	16.9%	48.3%	7.7	39	8.3	68.9
Kenneth Scott (2012)	WR	6'3, 208	Jr.	4 stars (5.8)	56	32	360	57.1%	16.9%	51.8%	6.4	N/A	6.5	45.4
Jake Murphy	TE				46	25	417	54.3%	12.8%	51.1%	9.1	86	8.9	61.0
Anthony Denham	WR				40	24	291	60.0%	11.1%	52.6%	7.3	-10	7.2	42.6
Bubba Poole	RB	6'1, 197	Jr.	NR	38	29	229	76.3%	10.6%	44.4%	6.0	-94	5.9	33.5
Geoffrey Norwood	WR	5'8, 175	Jr.	NR	22	13	173	59.1%	6.1%	75.0%	7.9	8	8.2	25.3
Karl Williams	RB				14	9	28	64.3%	3.9%	64.3%	2.0	-81	2.1	4.1
Lucky Radley	RB				13	11	80	84.6%	3.6%	53.8%	6.2	-37	6.1	11.7
Dominique Hatfield	WR	5'10, 175	So.	3 stars (5.6)	7	4	84	57.1%	1.9%	0.0%	12.0	32	7.9	12.3
Kelvin York	RB				6	4	14	66.7%	1.7%	50.0%	2.3	-34	2.3	2.0
Siale Fakailoatonga	TE	6'3, 251	So.	3 stars (5.6)	4	2	18	50.0%	1.1%	100.0%	4.5	-10	2.5	2.6
Westlee Tonga	TE	6'4, 252	Sr.	2 stars (5.3)	4	2	28	50.0%	1.1%	25.0%	7.0	0	3.3	4.1
Andre Lewis	WR	6'3, 208	Sr.	4 stars (5.8)
Brian Allen	WR	6'3, 200	So.	3 stars (5.5)
Harrison Handley	TE	6'4, 250	RSFr.	3 stars (5.6)
Kaelin Clay	WR	5'10, 188	Sr.	3 stars (5.5)

5. Dres needs a dance partner

Like just about every other Utah offensive player, Dres Anderson had one hell of a first half to 2013 before trailing off a bit. Still, he's proven that with steady quarterback play, he can thrive. Even with last year's iffiness, he finished the season averaging a strong 9.5 yards per target.

Anderson will have a new supporting cast this year, however. Last year's No. 2-4 targets are gone, which means that the second leading 2013 receiver is Bubba Poole. The return of Kenneth Scott will help -- the intended No. 2 was lost for the season in the first game of the year. A former marquee recruit, Scott might have decent upside despite averaging just 6.4 yards per target in 2012. So could former four-star JUCO recruit Andre Lewis. But the underbelly of the receiving corps is awfully young; that's one more reason why Utah might want to lean on the run at times.

(Then again, after Poole, the running backs are super-young as well. But hey, at least the line's experienced.)

Offensive Line

Category	Adj. Line Yds	Std. Downs LY/carry	Pass. Downs LY/carry	Opp. Rate	Power Success Rate	Stuff Rate	Adj. Sack Rate	Std. Downs Sack Rt.	Pass. Downs Sack Rt.
Team	100.3	2.63	2.88	33.3%	64.7%	21.8%	98.1	4.7%	6.8%
Rank	71	107	101	117	83	105	71	66	66

Player	Pos.	Ht, Wt	2014 Year	Rivals	Career Starts	Honors/Notes
Jeremiah Poutasi	LG	6'6, 320	Jr.	4 stars (5.8)	22
Vyncent Jones	C				21
Jeremiah Tofaeono	LG				18
Junior Salt	RG	6'2, 315	Sr.	4 stars (5.8)	12
Siaosi Aiono	C	6'2, 305	Jr.	3 stars (5.7)	9
Isaac Asiata	RT	6'4, 310	So.	3 stars (5.7)	3
Percy Taumoelau	LG				2
Marc Pouvave	RG	6'3, 302	Sr.	3 stars (5.5)	0
Andrew Albers	LT	6'7, 310	Sr.	2 stars (5.3)	0
Derek Tuimauga	RG	6'3, 316	Jr.	3 stars (5.5)	0
Kala Friel	LG	6'3, 315	Jr.	2 stars (5.4)	0
Hiva Lutui	RG	6'1, 294	So.	3 stars (5.6)	0
J.J. Dielman	RT	6'5, 295	So.	3 stars (5.5)	0
Lo Falemaka	LT	6'4, 290	RSFr.	3 stars (5.5)
Salesi Uhatafe	RG	6'4, 315	RSFr.	3 stars (5.5)
Jackson Barton	OL	6'7, 300	Fr.	4 stars (6.0)

Defense

FIVE FACTORS -- DEFENSE
	Raw Category		Rk	Opp. Adj. Category		Rk
EXPLOSIVENESS	IsoPPP	1.24	101	IsoPPP+	96.5	83
EFFICIENCY	Succ. Rt.	38.0%	23	Succ. Rt. +	115.5	15
FIELD POSITION	Off. Avg. FP	29.5	82	Off. FP+	101.5	44
FINISHING DRIVES	Pts. Per Trip in 40	3.8	23	Redzone S&P+	110.5	24
TURNOVERS	EXPECTED	25.1		ACTUAL	16.0	-9.1

Category	Yards/ Game Rk	S&P+ Rk	Success Rt. Rk	PPP+ Rk
OVERALL	61	25	15	32
RUSHING	20	16	21	18
PASSING	111	31	15	64
Standard Downs		24	11	91
Passing Downs		31	29	42

Q1 Rk	26	1st Down Rk	21
Q2 Rk	28	2nd Down Rk	26
Q3 Rk	26	3rd Down Rk	37
Q4 Rk	23

6. In Utah, stud defenders grow on trees

• In 2007, Utah ranked 14th in Def. F/+ and BYU ranked 20th.
• 2008: Utah eighth.
• 2009: Utah 29th, BYU 30th.
• 2010: Utah 32nd, BYU 38th.
• 2011: Utah 16th, BYU 37th.
• 2012: Utah State ninth, BYU 10th.
• 2013: Utah State eighth, BYU 15th, Utah 30th.

The three schools from the state of Utah makes up about two percent of FBS. But they've crafted five top-30 defenses in the last two years and 14 in the last seven. Needless to say, the recruiting rankings haven't been top-30 caliber overall, but coaching, structure, and a solid base of talent can make up a lot of ground.

Utah hits California hard, but the base of talent in Utah itself -- both at the prep and JUCO levels (particularly Snow College, which currently has six players on Utah's roster, four on Utah State's, and two on BYU's) -- appears to be approaching the level of offensive linemen from Wisconsin when it comes to being underrated by recruiting services.

Defensive Line

Category	Adj. Line Yds	Std. Downs LY/carry	Pass. Downs LY/carry	Opp. Rate	Power Success Rate	Stuff Rate	Adj. Sack Rate	Std. Downs Sack Rt.	Pass. Downs Sack Rt.
Team	114.7	2.80	2.61	34.7%	63.6%	21.0%	124.8	7.5%	7.1%
Rank	20	43	13	24	40	41	23	8	57

Name	Pos	Ht, Wt	2014 Year	Rivals	GP	Tackles	% of Team	TFL	Sacks	Int	PBU	FF	FR
Tenny Palepoi	DT				12	38.5	5.5%	9.5	4.5	0	0	1	0
Nate Orchard	DE	6'4, 255	Sr.	3 stars (5.7)	12	35.5	5.0%	8.5	3.0	0	1	3	1
LT Tuipulotu	DT				12	30.0	4.3%	3.0	1.5	0	4	1	1
Hunter Dimick	DE	6'3, 270	So.	3 stars (5.6)	12	22.0	3.1%	2.5	2.0	0	0	1	0
Viliseni Fauonuku	DT	5'10, 285	Jr.	3 stars (5.5)	7	10.5	1.5%	2.0	2.0	0	0	0	0
Thretton Palamo	DE				12	9.0	1.3%	0.5	0.5	0	0	0	0
Sam Tevi	DT	6'5, 295	So.	3 stars (5.6)	11	6.5	0.9%	2.0	1.0	0	0	0	0
Latu Heimuli	DT				8	6.5	0.9%	2.0	2.0	0	1	0	0
Sese Ianu	DT	6'2, 290	Sr.	3 stars (5.5)	10	4.5	0.6%	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Pita Taumoepenu	DE	6'1, 230	So.	NR	7	4.0	0.6%	2.0	1.0	0	0	0	0
Daniel Nielson	DT	6'6, 335	Jr.	3 stars (5.7)	12	1.5	0.2%	0.5	0.5	0	0	0	0
Jason Fanaika	DT	6'3, 270	Jr.	3 stars (5.5)
Filipo Mokofisi	DT	6'3, 280	RSFr.	3 stars (5.5)
Alani Havili-Katoa	DT	6'3, 295	Fr.	3 stars (5.6)
Pasoni Tasini	DT	6'2, 260	Jr.	2 stars (5.4)

7. Those trees needs to sprout some more tackles

Utah's return to the Def. F/+ top 30 coincided with some strong improvement up front. The Utes ranked 20th in Adj. Line Yards (16th in overall Rushing S&P+) and 23rd in Adj. Sack Rate; they were one of only nine defenses to rank in the top 25 in both categories. The others: Arizona State, Clemson, Michigan State, Stanford, TCU, Tulane, Utah State, and Virginia Tech. That's solid company.

Despite the loss of its top two tackles from 2012 (including Star Lotulelei), Utah's interior line more than held its own. Tenny Palepoi did a heck of a Lotulelei impersonation, and little-used LT Tuipulotu and Latu Heimuli combined with freshman Sam Tevi and undersized play-maker Viliseni Fauonuku to form a strong rotation. Only two of those five are back in 2014, however. For the second straight year, there's pretty heavy turnover up front.

Perhaps Utah will be just fine -- perhaps Fauonuku, Tevi, and others will fill roles and spaces and help Utah again produce strong line stats. It's within reach with the return of ends Nate Orchard and Hunter Dimick and a strong pass rusher in linebacker Jacoby Hale. But consistent turnover means you have to consistnetly produce new play-makers; that's easier said than done.

Linebackers

Name	Pos	Ht, Wt	2014 Year	Rivals	GP	Tackles	% of Team	TFL	Sacks	Int	PBU	FF	FR
Trevor Reilly	STUD				12	78.0	11.1%	16.5	9.0	1	2	1	0
Jason Whittingham	MAC	6'2, 240	Jr.	2 stars (5.2)	10	57.5	8.2%	5.0	1.0	0	4	1	0
Jared Norris	ROV	6'2, 237	Jr.	3 stars (5.7)	10	49.0	7.0%	4.5	2.0	0	2	2	0
Jacoby Hale	STUD	6'0, 230	Sr.	3 stars (5.6)	9	31.0	4.4%	10.0	6.5	0	3	0	0
V.J. Fehoko	MAC				11	12.5	1.8%	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Quade Chappuis	ROV				12	6.5	0.9%	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Uaea Masina	ROV	6'0, 222	So.	3 stars (5.6)	10	5.0	0.7%	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Travis Still	LB				12	5.0	0.7%	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0
LT Filiaga	STUD				9	2.5	0.4%	0.0	0.0	0	1	1	0
Gionni Paul (Miami 2012)	MAC	5'10, 227	Jr.	3 stars (5.7)	9	50.5	6.6%	3.5	0.0	0	2	1	0
Clarence Smith	STUD	6'2, 240	RSFr.	2 stars (5.4)

Secondary

Name	Pos	Ht, Wt	2014 Year	Rivals	GP	Tackles	% of Team	TFL	Sacks	Int	PBU	FF	FR
Eric Rowe	FS	6'1, 201	Sr.	3 stars (5.7)	12	55.5	7.9%	1	0.5	0	7	0	0
Michael Walker	SS				12	54.5	7.7%	4	1	1	5	0	0
Brian Blechen (2012)	SS	6'2, 215	Sr.	3 stars (5.7)	9	48.5	7.7%	3.5	0	1	5	1	0
Keith McGill	CB				12	32.5	4.6%	0.5	0	1	12	0	0
Davion Orphey	CB	6'0, 185	Sr.	3 stars (5.7)	11	30.0	4.3%	0	0	0	5	0	0
Mike Honeycutt	NB				12	23.5	3.3%	3	1	0	2	1	1
Justin Thomas	NB	5'8, 178	So.	4 stars (5.8)	12	22.0	3.1%	3	0	0	2	0	0
Reginald Porter	CB	5'11, 181	So.	3 stars (5.5)	11	7.5	1.1%	0	0	0	1	0	0
Hipolito Corporan	CB				10	5.0	0.7%	0	0	0	0	0	0
Joseph Smith	DB				2	5.0	0.7%	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tyron Morris-Edwards	FS				9	4.5	0.6%	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chandler Johnson	DB	6'0, 180	Sr.	NR	6	4.0	0.6%	0	0	0	0	0	0
Charles Henderson	FS	5'8, 195	Jr.	2 stars (5.4)	9	1.5	0.2%	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wykie Freeman	NB	5'11, 174	Sr.	3 stars (5.5)
Joseph Bryant	SS	6'3, 208	Jr.	3 stars (5.6)
Andre Godfrey	DB	5'10, 186	Fr.	3 stars (5.6)

8. Welcome (and welcome back)

There's turnover elsewhere on the defense, too. While three of the top four linebackers return, four of the next five do not, which means that it might take only a couple of injuries to dig deep into the well of freshmen and walk-ons. Meanwhile, three of last year's top five defensive backs (and five of the top 10) are gone.

Linebackers Jacoby Hale, Jason Whittingham and Jared Norris combined for 19.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and nine passes defensed and should maintain a high level of play-making despite the loss of Trevor Reilly. Plus, Eric Rowe is one of the West's better ball hawks in the secondary. But the key to depth and consistency might be some players who weren't around last year, namely senior safety Brian Blechen and junior linebacker Gionni Paul. Blechen played linebacker for Utah in 2012 but missed 2013 with knee injuries; he dropped some weight and looks to become a play-maker at strong safety. He was an honorable mention all-conference player in both 2011 and 2012. Paul, meanwhile, was a steadying force for a Miami defense that needed just that in 2012.

With these two in the mix, Utah should produce an experienced, hard-hitting back seven. With proper run help from the defensive line, the Utes should once again finish in the Def. F/+ top 30.

Special Teams

Punter	Ht, Wt	2014 Year	Punts	Avg	TB	FC	I20	FC/I20 Ratio
Tom Hackett	5'11, 187	Jr.	76	43.4	6	19	27	60.5%

Kicker	Ht, Wt	2014 Year	Kickoffs	Avg	TB	OOB	TB%
Andy Phillips	5'10, 207	So.	58	60.2	11	0	19.0%
Jamie Sutcliffe			9	60.8	4	0	44.4%

Place-Kicker	Ht, Wt	2014 Year	PAT	FG (0-39)	Pct	FG (40+)	Pct
Andy Phillips	5'10, 207	So.	41-41	8-9	88.9%	9-11	81.8%

Returner	Pos.	Ht, Wt	2014 Year	Returns	Avg.	TD
Dres Anderson	KR	6'2, 190	Sr.	11	21.1	0
Delshawn McClellon	KR	5'9, 169	So.	9	21.7	0
Geoffrey Norwood	PR	5'8, 175	Jr.	27	8.6	0
Bubba Poole	PR	6'1, 197	Jr.	5	16.4	0

Category	Rk
Special Teams F/+	39
Field Goal Efficiency	15
Punt Return Efficiency	23
Kick Return Efficiency	113
Punt Efficiency	11
Kickoff Efficiency	105
Opponents' Field Goal Efficiency	95

9. All or nothing on special teams

In the six special teams categories listed above, Utah ranked 11th, 15th, and 23rd in three of them and 95th, 105th, and 113th in the other three. That just about everybody returns for this unit is a good thing, especially as it pertains to punter (and major field position weapon) Tom Hackett, place-kicker Andy Phillips, and punt returners Geoffrey Norwood and Bubba Poole. But kick returns could use a boost, and Phillips wasn't much of a kickoffs guy.

2014 Schedule & Projection Factors

2014 Schedule
Date	Opponent	Proj. Rk
28-Aug	Idaho State	NR
6-Sep	Fresno State	48
20-Sep	at Michigan	32
27-Sep	Washington State	68
4-Oct	at UCLA	20
16-Oct	at Oregon State	43
25-Oct	USC	9
1-Nov	at Arizona State	21
8-Nov	Oregon	3
15-Nov	at Stanford	6
22-Nov	Arizona	36
29-Nov	at Colorado	99

Five-Year F/+ Rk	7.1% (43)
Two-Year Recruiting Rk	52
TO Margin/Adj. TO Margin*	-9 / 3.6
TO Luck/Game	-5.3
Approx. Ret. Starters (Off. / Def.)	13 (7, 6)

10. What a schedule

This is what Utah signed up for.

The Utes are one of just two true mid-majors to find a ticket to the major-conference dance, and they joined the Pac-12 just in time for the conference to surge. In 2014, they will play at Michigan, at UCLA, at Arizona State, and at Stanford while hosting USC and Oregon. From September 6 to November 22, they'll play 10 consecutive teams that went bowling last year while attempting to end a two-year bowlless streak themselves. That's a lot to ask.

The Utes could be ready, though. They really were a potential top-25 team before Wilson's struggles began last year, and if he's healthy and Christensen can have a bit of a steadying influence on him, the offense will be just fine. And the defense is usually just fine.

This is a top-30 (or so) team on paper, one that should be able to start 3-1, finish 2-0, and find at least one win in between. Utah isn't going to threaten for the Pac-12 South title or anything, but whereas last year's bounce back was mostly invisible, there are enough experienced play-makers to take another, more noticeable step forward in 2014. The veneer could crack with a couple of well-placed injuries, but ... well, that goes for a lot of teams. Utah was salty in 2013 and should be saltier in 2014.

Follow @SBNationCFB Follow @SBNRecruiting