'09 Football Opponent Preview: Utah
August 13, 2009 | Football
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- As college football fans across the country gear up for another exciting season of action on the gridiron, UofLSports.com will give Louisville fans breakdown, analysis and things to watch for on each of the Cardinals' 2009 opponents leading up to the start of the season.
The staff of UofLSports.com continues its 2009 football season preview with an in-depth look at Louisville's second road game against 2009 Sugar Bowl Champions Utah.
 | Game Buildup |
The University of Louisville football will travel to Salt Lake City to face Utah on September 26. It's a rematch of the Utes 2007 visit to Louisville when the Cardinals fell at home 44-35. The Cardinals will be making their first visit out West since 1998 when they fell 45-22. The Cardinals are 0-3 all-tiime against the Utes.
| Season Outlook |
Utah enters its fifth year under head coach Kyle Whittingham coming off of a 13-0 season, Mountain West Conference Championship and BCS (Sugar) bowl win in 2008. However, the 2009 Utes are faced with the daunting task of replacing the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year at quarterback, three starting receivers, the starting running back, two starting offensive linemen, the offensive coordinator and the offensive line coach.
Now for the good news. There is strong competition at quarterback, receiver is loaded with talent and game experience, the "second-string" running back led the 2008 Utes in rushing and he is back, three of the best offensive linemen in the conference return, the new offensive coordinator has played a key role in the game plan for the past four years and the new offensive line coach is a 12-year veteran of college coaching.
Dave Schramm takes the controls of the Ute offense after spending his first four years coaching the running backs. In addition to his coordinator duties, Schramm will coach the quarterbacks. Sliding over from the defensive side of the ball to take Schramm's place with the running backs is third-year Ute assistant Aaron Alford. Alford managed the cornerbacks his first two years. New to the staff, but experienced in the field, is offensive line coach Blake Miller. Miller was recruited from Rice, which won a school-record 10 games last year and finished tenth in the nation in total offense.
| Players to Watch |
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Zane Beadles | OL | No. 68 | Senior
Senior left tackle Zane Beadles, Utah's only first-team all-conference returnee is preparing for his fourth year as a starter. An All-America candidate, Beadles started at left guard as a redshirt freshman in 2006, before taking over at left tackle in 2007. Beadles, who has been compared to former Ute All-American and current all-pro NFL tackle Jordan Gross, is on the preseason watch list for the Rotary Lombardi award.
Other Key Players
| Scouting Opponent's Offense |
The battle to replace one of the nation's best quarterbacks began the minute the Utes beat Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. It will continue late into the month of August, as two candidates, including Terrance Cain and Jordan Wynn, are still standing.
The Utes lost junior quarterback Corbin Louks who announced on Aug. 18 he would transfer to Nevada. Louks' was the understudy to all-time Utah win leader Brian Johnson for the past two years. Utah will now rely on Cain or Wynn to lead them in 2009.
Cain, a junior college All-American who led the NJCAA in passing yards (3,138) and touchdowns (29) in 2008, while completing 68-percent of his passes, joined the Utes in January.
The surprise of the spring was Wynn, who graduated early from high school and got a jump start on his college career. A prospect to redshirt entering spring ball, he exited as a potential starter. His rapid improvement extended from breakfast to dinner: Wynn added 30 pounds to his 6'1" frame, and is now sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of Division I football.
Even with the starting lineup wiped clean, this could rate as the best receiving corps in the league.
It starts with senior David Reed, whose acrobatic catches are reminiscent of former Ute great and current NFL all-pro Steve Smith. One of the nation's most exciting receivers, Reed averaged a team-high 17.1 yards per catch and scored six touchdowns in his first year at Utah.
Senior Aiona Key arrived too late to break into the rotation last fall, but he'll make the cut this season. At 6'4", with great leaping ability (he blocked a kick in three straight games last year), Key has the tools to dominate a game.
Junior slot back Jereme Brooks played in 25 games his first two years on campus (starting in seven) and he offers all sorts of options. A slippery receiver and runner, Brooks is also two-of-two passing with a touchdown.
Luke Matthews--one of three promising redshirt freshman receivers--is targeted for the fourth starting position.
DeVonte Christopher came to Utah as a highly-regarded quarterback, but agreed to try out at receiver this past spring in order for the coaches to get him on the field faster. Whittingham likes Ryan Lacy in part for his 4.38 40 speed.
A mid-year juco transfer who pushed his way into the depth chart in the spring is Shaky Smithson described by Whittingham as a "dynamic player who is particularly dangerous after the catch."
Upperclassmen ticketed for playing time are dependable veterans John Peel and Elijah Wesson, and incoming junior college transfer Ray Magee.
A two-year starter graduated, but look for the running back position to be just as deep and talented as ever. Senior Matt Asiata played starter-like minutes off the bench in 2008 and led Utah (sixth in the conference) with 707 net rushing yards. He tied for second in the league in rushing touchdowns with 12, many coming out of the "Asiata Formation" off the direct snap. Asiata uses his 5'11", 230-pound size to his advantage, averaging 4.8 yards per carry last fall.
Unlike Asiata, who rolls over opponents, junior Eddie Wide (5'10", 195) out-maneuvers them. Wide has averaged 6.1 yards per rush in a changeup role for the past two years.
Even with established upperclassmen available, playing time is certain for redshirt freshman Sausan Shakerin, whose "official" introduction to NCAA ball has been eagerly anticipated. The 2007 Utah state high school 5A MVP is Utah's biggest (6-2, 225) and fastest (4.49 40) running back.
Utah returns three of the best offensive linemen in the league and shouldn't skip a beat at the two positions left vacant by graduation.
The headliner is All-America candidate Zane Beadles. As good as any left tackle in the nation, Beadles opted to stay in school for his final season, rather than testing the NFL waters early after an all-conference season in 2008.
Beadles will play alongside two other all-conference candidates--juniors Caleb Schlauderaff and Zane Taylor. Schlauderaff will start at left guard for the third-straight year, while Taylor takes over at right guard after moving from center (where he was honorable mention all-conference as a sophomore) in the spring.
The primary reason for moving Taylor is to get the best five players on the field. His versatility allows centers Tyler Williams and Tevita Stevens to compete for the starting job.
Sophomore Tony Bergstrom is scheduled to take over at right tackle after a busy freshman year that saw him play in 10 games and start one.
In a position that takes a physical pounding on every play, depth is essential, and the Utes look strong two deep along the line.
Two up-and-comers to keep an eye on are redshirt freshman guard Derek Tuimauga and true freshman tackle Sam Brenner. A senior with potential that matches his size is 6'6", 300-pound tackle Viliamu Nau.
Utah's Most Improved Offensive Player in 2008, Chris Joppru got four of the five starts accorded to the tight end position. He and junior Brad Clifford must fend off more than opposing rushers, as redshirt freshman Kendrick Moeai is a dynamite prospect at the position.
| Scouting Opponent's Defense |
Plenty is new on the defensive side of the ball, but the most important piece--Utah's defensive scheme--remains intact.
New defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake, whose first four years on the staff were spent coaching the linebackers (a position he retained in his promotion to DC). Sitake has a firm understanding of the defensive philosophy and he played an important role in Utah's game planning and play calling when he was a position coach.
The hiring of veteran NFL and college defensive line coach John Pease lends yet another layer of experience to the Ute defensive coaching staff. Pease will also serve as the assistant head coach. The other change is at corner, where J.D. Williams takes over after seven years in the Pac-10.
Seven starters return for the defense, and though the starter losses doubled when all-conference underclassmen Paul Kruger and Sean Smith declared early for the NFL draft, the defensive outlook is bright.
Young just a year ago, linebacker is now the "core of the defense," according to Whittingham. All three starters return at what may be Utah's deepest position.
At rover, team captain Stevenson Sylvester earned national notoriety in the Sugar Bowl when he ravaged Alabama with three sacks. Second team all-conference a year ago, he enters this season as an All-America candidate.
Returning to man the middle, where he serves as the field manager for the defense, is senior Mike Wright. He led Utah in tackles (81) in an honorable mention all-conference junior season.
When Kepa Gaison replaced injured starter Nai Fotu in the lineup at the Sugar Bowl and laid six tackles and two sacks on the Tide, Whittingham knew he could safely move Fotu back to his true position as a defensive end on his return. The versatile Gaison can play all three backer positions capably, but will start at stud.
The only place where the Utes may come up short at the linebacker position is minutes in the game. A bevy of gifted backups includes 2006 starting rover J.J. Williams, back from an LDS church mission, and tantalizingly talented sophomore Mo Neal. Others deserving of playing time are Chaz Walker, Jamel King, Matt Martinez and Chad Manis.
Manis is one of the most intriguing options after making the move from quarterback to linebacker in the off-season.
In their rotational scheme, the Utes need eight defensive linemen to operate on all cylinders. This year's team has more like 10.
One who will rarely rotate out is senior Koa Misi, perhaps the most underrated defensive end in the league his first two years. Misi, second-team all-league in 2008, took the backseat to teammate Paul Kruger, but he'll be doing the driving this fall.
While Misi owns the starting job at right end, the left side could feature two "transfer" starters. Moving over from nose tackle is sophomore Derrick Shelby. At 250 pounds, Shelby belongs at end, but he started at nose tackle last year when injuries decimated that position. With injured tackles Kenape Eliapo and Lei Talamaivao back on the field, Shelby can slide back outside, where he'll share the job with a transfer from another position--Nai Fotu, last year's starting stud linebacker. Juniors Junior Tuione and Christian Cox will also figure in the rotation at end.
Interestingly, there is also a surplus of starters at tackle, where Talamaivao, Eliapo and Sealver Siliga all possess all conference ability.
Talamaivao, who broke his leg in the second game of his sophomore season, will start at tackle, while Siliga--outstanding as a true freshman last year--emerged from spring ball with a slight lead over senior Eliapo at nose tackle.
As good as they are, their jobs became less secure with a new signing class that included Utah prep star Latu Heimuli.
Another new defensive lineman with high expectations is James Aiono, a juco All-American who was rated as the No. 1 junior college recruit in the nation by Rivals.com.
On paper, the strength of the defensive backfield is safety, where all-league candidates Robert Johnson and Joe Dale return. The agile 6'2" Johnson has seven interceptions in his first two seasons as the starting free safety. From his strong safety post, Dale led Utah's secondary (fourth overall) with 66 total tackles last year and had three interceptions.
Redshirt freshman Reggie Topps, a one-time corner, will spell Johnson. Justin Taplin-Ross, used mostly on special teams his first two years, has come into his own as a safety and will back up Dale.
An influx of athletic safeties will create even more competition in August when freshmen Victor Spikes, Chris Washington and Jarrad Stewart join the team.
On the flip side of the safety situation is the corners, where Utah must replace two all-conference players. With Sean Smith and Brice McCain now on NFL rosters, speedsters R.J. Stanford (4.30 40) and Brandon Burton (4.33 40) will be asked to pick up the slack.
Stanford will play nickel back when the Utes go with five DBs--a move designed to keep him on the field at all times. His corner post could be filled in those situations by a newcomer, with Kameron Yancy, Conroy Black and Maxwell Lacy at the head of the list.
| Scouting Opponent's Special Teams |
For the first time in Whittingham's head coaching career, the Utes enter a season without the services of sensational kicker/punter Louie Sakoda. A four-year starter, Sakoda graduated as the most decorated All-American in Utah football history. He was a unanimous Consensus All-America kicker in 2008 and a first-team All- America punter in 2007. He was a three-time MWC Special Teams Player of the Year and Utah's only Ray Guy and Lou Groza finalist ever.
As a senior who handled every kickoff for the past two years, Ben Vroman has a leg up on the starting place-kicking vacancy. Vroman's toughest competition could come from incoming freshman Nick Marsh.
Speaking of punting, big (6'3", 200-pound) redshirt freshman Sean Sellwood has aspirations to start, though he too, will face a challenge from Marsh.
A new snapper and holder will also be in place for the first game. Redshirt freshman Patrick Greene will likely snap for both punts and place kicks, and Sellwood is the projected holder.
The return game should be in good shape, and in fact, improved. A year ago, eight different Utes fielded punts and none excelled. Luke Matthews and backup Justin Taplin-Ross could change that area into a strength.
On kick returns, David Reed won honorable mention all-conference honors in 2008 when he averaged 25.4 yards per return. Deep to receive with Reed will likely be Jereme Brooks or Elijah Wesson--both established kick returners.
| Game Implications |
The Cardinals need a big non-conference win for the program and the BIG EAST. Utah is one of the nation's hottest teams having won all 13 games a year ago. It will be the second straight tough road game for the Cardinals.
The countdown to the start of the season marches on as UofLSports.com provides and in-depth look at the BIG EAST home-opener against Pittsburgh in its next installment.
