5 questions for the Utes

In preparation for Idaho State’s 5:30 p.m. game at Utah on Thursday in Salt Lake City, The Salt Lake Tribune’s Kyle Goon was kind enough to answer five questions about the Utes football team.

Utah, under one-time Idaho State assistant coach Kyle Whittingham, has gone 5-7 the past two seasons, and there is pressure around the program for the Utes to get back to a bowl game for the first time since 2011.

It should mean a motivated Utah squad takes the field against the Bengals.

Question 1: Utah coaches and players are saying all the right things leading up to the 5:30 p.m. kickoff against Idaho State, but are the Utes really taking Idaho State seriously?

Goon writes: I think Utah is taking Idaho State seriously in the respect that the team has a lot to prove about itself this year. There's a new offensive coordinator in Dave Christensen, a returning QB in Travis Wilson, who was once expected to be done for his career, a retooled offensive line and possibly a new running back. On defense, the Utes are trying to integrate at least four guys who didn't start last year and maybe more. That's not to say they're 100 percent treating Idaho State like any other game, but there will be a strong focus on executing and really knocking this first home game out of the park for the fans in an effort to win some faith.

Question 2: Idaho State expects Utah to look a lot like Wyoming the past few years with new offensive coordinator Dave Christensen (uptempo, spread), who was the head coach at Wyoming from 2009-13. Christensen has hinted that Utah's offense won't change that dramatically. How do you think Utah will attack the Bengals offensively?

Goon writes: The key change for Utah’s offense is the time between snaps will be very quick. The team has been running with a 25-second play clock for most of the past few months, and they’ll try to move downfield very quickly to set the defense off guard. I think you’ll see that uptempo style right away with an emphasis on solid runs and short-to-medium-range completions. The Utes have two exceptional receivers, Dres Anderson and Kenneth Scott, who could probably go deep all night with success, but it won’t help the team at all to just practice long pitch-and-catch plays against an FCS secondary. At least initially, be ready for a more grinding style. If the Utes lead by a significant margin close to halftime, they may experiment more.

Question 3: Junior quarterback Travis Wilson is on his third offensive coordinator. How has that altered his development, and what does the Utah coaching staff expect of Wilson this season?

Goon writes: The expectations for Wilson are tricky to unravel. He was diagnosed last fall with a stretched artery in his brain that doctors first thought might end his career. After not playing football for months, he was cleared for non-contact work this spring and was rusty. After being cleared for contact this June, he looked much more confident in camp as he won a narrow battle with transfer Kendal Thompson for the starting job. I think generally with his quicker-than-expected recovery and the experience he brings to the position, fans are hoping Travis has a better year than he did last season (16 touchdowns, 16 interceptions in nine games). But I think some folks are worried about his durability and health, and there could be an early call for Thompson to get a shot if Travis struggles early.

Question 4: How much pressure is on Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham to reach a bowl game this season?

Goon writes: The pressure is very significant. Some football observers believe he could lose his job without a berth this year. For a program that had two undefeated seasons in the last 10 years and has sent a lot of guys to the NFL, three straight losing seasons is hard to swallow. The Pac-12 is much tougher than the Mountain West, and Whittingham has certainly built up goodwill with his success before that rough stretch. But if he doesn’t win at least six this year, more people will question if he’s the man to lead the Utes in the Pac-12 era.

Question 5: Idaho State assistant coaches Spencer Toone and Steve Fifita both played for Utah in the early to mid-2000s. What kind of an impression did those two leave with the Utah football program?

Goon writes: As members of the 2004 Fiesta Bowl team, a team that’s thought of here as perhaps the best football squad this state has produced, they are well-beloved. Fifita particularly was an anchor of that undefeated team on the defensive line, and his name probably goes with some of the greats that have played the position for the Utes. He memorably scored a touchdown on offense against BYU that year. Toone wasn’t quite a “face” of that team that Fifita was, but he was a standout who obviously made the NFL, so he’s well-remembered in that vein.