April 2 practice thoughts

[UTEopia]

I attended my second practice of the spring today and to be honest I am unsure how to evaluate this team. Keep in mind, this is based on 2 practices, so the sample is extremely limited. There are so many proven players sitting out on defense that it is tough to know whether the OL is improved or simply working against an undermanned defense. Having said that, here are my thoughts:

OL: Appear to be improved. I would say the top 5 in order are: Poutasi, Salt, Jones, Aiono and Tofaeono. It appears that they are still searching for Nos. 6, 7 and 8 and the candidates would appear to be Albers, Bot, Tuimauga, Asiata and Lutui.

RB: By all account Radley is having a great spring and he continued today. He is a hard nosed runner inside and has some wiggle to him on the edge and upfield. He looked very good in pass block pickup. Poole had a nice day and has some upside to him.

WR: Made some explosive plays today and did not have the drops. Pedroza, Denham and Fitz all made good plays and seem to be working very hard to get in the mix.

TE: The Utes will run a lot of packages with 1 and 2 TE's and Murphy and Tonga seem to be leading the way. Reese looks the part but appears to be taking a while to adjust to the pace and sophistication of the scheme.

QB: Wilson did some nice things but also made some poor decisions. One resulted in a pick six in a drill where the O was ahead on the scoreboard and were trying to run some clock. The other two did not result in picks, but easily could have. It seemed that the pick six was the result of simply throwing the ball where it was designed to go without really adjusting to the defensive package. Schultz had a nice day. Nothing spectacular, but nothing stupid. Cox certainly has some talent but seems to be a little behind in terms of understanding the offense and running it the correct way, which should be expected given that he has only been here a couple months.

The defense was okay, but not spectacular. I thought the strength was with Rowe and Morris at safety. They both had nice days. Blechen spent most of his time with the LB's. LB's are still fighting to improve but need a lot of work. DL needs some bodies and hopefully the freshmen and JUCO kid can come in to improve both talent level and depth. They will certainly have the opportunity. The corners seem to be inconsistent. Guys will make a nice play and then give up a big play. There needs to be significant improvement at all levels in order to win more then we lose.

[Hot Lunch]

I attended my second practice of the spring today and to be honest I am unsure how to evaluate this team. Keep in mind, this is based on 2 practices, so the sample is extremely limited. There are so many proven players sitting out on defense that it is tough to know whether the OL is improved or simply working against an undermanned defense. Having said that, here are my thoughts:

OL: Appear to be improved. I would say the top 5 in order are: Poutasi, Salt, Jones, Aiono and Tofaeono. It appears that they are still searching for Nos. 6, 7 and 8 and the candidates would appear to be Albers, Bot, Tuimauga, Asiata and Lutui.

RB: By all account Radley is having a great spring and he continued today. He is a hard nosed runner inside and has some wiggle to him on the edge and upfield. He looked very good in pass block pickup. Poole had a nice day and has some upside to him.

WR: Made some explosive plays today and did not have the drops. Pedroza, Denham and Fitz all made good plays and seem to be working very hard to get in the mix.

TE: The Utes will run a lot of packages with 1 and 2 TE's and Murphy and Tonga seem to be leading the way. Reese looks the part but appears to be taking a while to adjust to the pace and sophistication of the scheme.

QB: Wilson did some nice things but also made some poor decisions. One resulted in a pick six in a drill where the O was ahead on the scoreboard and were trying to run some clock. The other two did not result in picks, but easily could have. It seemed that the pick six was the result of simply throwing the ball where it was designed to go without really adjusting to the defensive package. Schultz had a nice day. Nothing spectacular, but nothing stupid. Cox certainly has some talent but seems to be a little behind in terms of understanding the offense and running it the correct way, which should be expected given that he has only been here a couple months.

The defense was okay, but not spectacular. I thought the strength was with Rowe and Morris at safety. They both had nice days. Blechen spent most of his time with the LB's. LB's are still fighting to improve but need a lot of work. DL needs some bodies and hopefully the freshmen and JUCO kid can come in to improve both talent level and depth. They will certainly have the opportunity. The corners seem to be inconsistent. Guys will make a nice play and then give up a big play. There needs to be significant improvement at all levels in order to win more then we lose.

Thanks for your thoughts on observations. I hope I can make it to the scrimmage on Friday. I am disappointed I haven't been up yet this spring.

[crazyute]

I attended my second practice of the spring today and to be honest I am unsure how to evaluate this team. Keep in mind, this is based on 2 practices, so the sample is extremely limited. There are so many proven players sitting out on defense that it is tough to know whether the OL is improved or simply working against an undermanned defense. Having said that, here are my thoughts:

OL: Appear to be improved. I would say the top 5 in order are: Poutasi, Salt, Jones, Aiono and Tofaeono. It appears that they are still searching for Nos. 6, 7 and 8 and the candidates would appear to be Albers, Bot, Tuimauga, Asiata and Lutui.

RB: By all account Radley is having a great spring and he continued today. He is a hard nosed runner inside and has some wiggle to him on the edge and upfield. He looked very good in pass block pickup. Poole had a nice day and has some upside to him.

WR: Made some explosive plays today and did not have the drops. Pedroza, Denham and Fitz all made good plays and seem to be working very hard to get in the mix.

TE: The Utes will run a lot of packages with 1 and 2 TE's and Murphy and Tonga seem to be leading the way. Reese looks the part but appears to be taking a while to adjust to the pace and sophistication of the scheme.

QB: Wilson did some nice things but also made some poor decisions. One resulted in a pick six in a drill where the O was ahead on the scoreboard and were trying to run some clock. The other two did not result in picks, but easily could have. It seemed that the pick six was the result of simply throwing the ball where it was designed to go without really adjusting to the defensive package. Schultz had a nice day. Nothing spectacular, but nothing stupid. Cox certainly has some talent but seems to be a little behind in terms of understanding the offense and running it the correct way, which should be expected given that he has only been here a couple months.

The defense was okay, but not spectacular. I thought the strength was with Rowe and Morris at safety. They both had nice days. Blechen spent most of his time with the LB's. LB's are still fighting to improve but need a lot of work. DL needs some bodies and hopefully the freshmen and JUCO kid can come in to improve both talent level and depth. They will certainly have the opportunity. The corners seem to be inconsistent. Guys will make a nice play and then give up a big play. There needs to be significant improvement at all levels in order to win more then we lose.
come fall i think we are going to see either albers or lozano starting at RT. aiono has done an adequate job but lacks the length to face pac12 defenders. the experience he is gaining though will pay off when he gets his chance at guard next year.

great post though. thanks for the report.

[SeattleUte]

Thank you Utopia!

[utebehindenemylines]

come fall i think we are going to see either albers or pedroza starting at RT.

Pedroza at RT!? He'd probably need to gain around 100 lbs. I think you mean Lozano. ;)

[Diehard Ute]

come fall i think we are going to see either albers or pedroza starting at RT. aiono has done an adequate job but lacks the length to face pac12 defenders. the experience he is gaining though will pay off when he gets his chance at guard next year.

great post though. thanks for the report.

Don't know that the coaches agree with you

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/utes/56096362-89/utes-utah-offensive-whittingham.html.csp

[UTEopia]

come fall i think we are going to see either albers or pedroza starting at RT. aiono has done an adequate job but lacks the length to face pac12 defenders. the experience he is gaining though will pay off when he gets his chance at guard next year.


Lozano is simply too big to be effective. The DE's just run around him. Albers has the prototypical build, but is still struggling with technique.

[Applejack]

Thanks. These types of post are what makes this board great.

[crazyute]

Pedroza at RT!? He'd probably need to gain around 100 lbs. I think you mean Lozano. ;)

dang it!!!! my bad meant lozano. but i think albers will be the guy.

[crazyute]

Don't know that the coaches agree with you

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/utes/56096362-89/utes-utah-offensive-whittingham.html.csp

here is part of the article you really need to pay attention to.

"Also having an impact is Andrew Albers, a 6-7, 310-pound junior college transfer."He gives us a lot of flexibility to move people around," Finn said."


​

[Diehard Ute]

here is part of the article you really need to pay attention to.

"Also having an impact is Andrew Albers, a 6-7, 310-pound junior college transfer."He gives us a lot of flexibility to move people around," Finn said."


​

Yup. Read that. I read the whole article, not just the parts I like ;)

[crazyute]

Yup. Read that. I read the whole article, not just the parts I like ;)
sometimes you gotta pick through the coach speak to find the truth. :cool:

[UTEopia]

If Albers is able to claim the RT spot, my prediction is that Aiono will move to either guard for Tofaeono or to center and Jones will then move to guard.

[Hot Lunch]

If Albers is able to claim the RT spot, my prediction is that Aiono will move to either guard for Tofaeono or to center and Jones will then move to guard.

What were your thoughts on Lutui?

[HammerUte]

come fall i think we are going to see either albers or lozano starting at RT. aiono has done an adequate job but lacks the length to face pac12 defenders. the experience he is gaining though will pay off when he gets his chance at guard next year.

great post though. thanks for the report.

Ummm, yaaaaaaah! Aiono has basically shown to be the best offensive lineman this spring. He has been the offensive MVP on two or three of the practices. That means he is more than adequate. That's why despite his size he has locked down the RT spot. I'll give it to you that he might get moved around, but it's not going to be because someone is better than him because right now he is winning the OL MVP and the offensive MVP.

[crazyute]

Ummm, yaaaaaaah! Aiono has basically shown to be the best offensive lineman this spring. He has been the offensive MVP on two or three of the practices. That means he is more than adequate. That's why despite his size he has locked down the RT spot. I'll give it to you that he might get moved around, but it's not going to be because someone is better than him because right now he is winning the OL MVP and the offensive MVP.
NO WAY!!! poutasi is by far the line MVP and it isn't even close. poutasi is a stud.

I will give that aiono has been the biggest surprise, but he is not the offensive MVP. Infact vyncent jones has done a great job at center as well. so good that our 4* recruit latui isn't even getting mentioned as a possible starter. junior salt is also a guy that coaches rave about. you WAY over exaggerated to prove a point.

having been to 3 practices i would say that wilson has been the offensive MVP. he has improved by leaps and bounds. and is much more confident. aiono the offensive MVP...your funny man!! offensive line MVP goes to poutasi...and that isn't even close!!

[UTEopia]

What were your thoughts on Lutui?

Lutui is smaller then his published height and weight and appears to be limited to playing center. He was low on a number of snaps requiring the QB to adjust to the snap and abandon the play. I think he still has a ways to go before he gets playing time. I don't see it happening this year because I think Jones will be the No. 1 center and Aiono will move to center if Jones is injured.

[crazyute]

Lutui is smaller then his published height and weight and appears to be limited to playing center. He was low on a number of snaps requiring the QB to adjust to the snap and abandon the play. I think he still has a ways to go before he gets playing time. I don't see it happening this year because I think Jones will be the No. 1 center and Aiono will move to center if Jones is injured.

what??? move the offensive MVP..according to some?

I agree i think aiono is the future at center next year. derek tuimauga is also looking good for guard next year to replace tofaeono. plus it will be interesting when marc pouvave gets healthy.

it's what i was saying earlier. the reps that he is getting right now are going to payoff for him.

[Applejack]

I just read the Trib article saying that Justin Thomas was slotted ahead of Orphey at DB. That, frankly, surprises and worries me. I was hoping that Orphey would be an instant impact JC guy. Hopefully it means that Old Man Thomas can play.

[Jarid in Cedar]

I just read the Trib article saying that Justin Thomas was slotted ahead of Orphey at DB. That, frankly, surprises and worries me. I was hoping that Orphey would be an instant impact JC guy. Hopefully it means that Old Man Thomas can play.

By most reports, Thomas had been the best corner in spring camp. He was highly rated out of hs, and very likely will be the next Brandon Burton.

[Applejack]

By most reports, Thomas had been the best corner in spring camp. He was highly rated out of hs, and very likely will be the next Brandon Burton.

Understood. I'm excited about Thomas. I'm just worried that if our best corner is a 5''9' freshmen, that likely says more about the other corners than it does about him.

[UBlender]

By most reports, Thomas had been the best corner in spring camp. He was highly rated out of hs, and very likely will be the next Brandon Burton.

Yes, from what I've read, Thomas has been one of the standouts of spring camp, not just at CB but for the team in general. As for Orphey, I recall reading something about an injury he had in the off-season that hindered his conditioning and has put him behind a little bit. In the fall, I see him competing with Keith McGill, Wykie Freeman (out during spring with an injury) and Hip Corporan for the corner spot opposite Thomas.

[Hot Lunch]

Lutui is smaller then his published height and weight and appears to be limited to playing center. He was low on a number of snaps requiring the QB to adjust to the snap and abandon the play. I think he still has a ways to go before he gets playing time. I don't see it happening this year because I think Jones will be the No. 1 center and Aiono will move to center if Jones is injured.


Thanks for the input. I had high expectations for Lutui this season. I guess I will have to wait another year on those.

[crazyute]

Yes, from what I've read, Thomas has been one of the standouts of spring camp, not just at CB but for the team in general. As for Orphey, I recall reading something about an injury he had in the off-season that hindered his conditioning and has put him behind a little bit. In the fall, I see him competing with Keith McGill, Wykie Freeman (out during spring with an injury) and Hip Corporan for the corner spot opposite Thomas.

don't forget about reginald porter who has had a surprising spring as well.

[UBlender]

don't forget about reginald porter who has had a surprising spring as well.

Yep, I should have included Porter and could probably throw Tyler White and Joseph Smith in there too. It would have been nice if McGill, with his imposing size, had taken charge of that corner spot (and he still could) but it sounds like he has been pretty up and down and the position is pretty wide open.

[Utah]

Understood. I'm excited about Thomas. I'm just worried that if our best corner is a 5''9' freshmen, that likely says more about the other corners than it does about him.

Apparently McGill hasn't been as good as they hoped, but the guy stays everyday after practice to work on his technique.

Freeman isn't playing yet.

Orphy is coming along.

The good news is, we are a LOOOOOONG way off from this fall. These players will get better. Our coaches know how to coach DB's.

The bad news is, 3 of the top 5 WR's from the PAC-12 are coming back next year. We get to play all three.

[Applejack]

Yep, I should have included Porter and could probably throw Tyler White and Joseph Smith in there too. It would have been nice if McGill, with his imposing size, had taken charge of that corner spot (and he still could) but it sounds like he has been pretty up and down and the position is pretty wide open.


Nothing would give me greater joy than for Joseph Smith (Jr) to succeed at the U. Praise to the Man!

[Hot Lunch]

Apparently McGill hasn't been as good as they hoped, but the guy stays everyday after practice to work on his technique.

Freeman isn't playing yet.

Orphy is coming along.

The good news is, we are a LOOOOOONG way off from this fall. These players will get better. Our coaches know how to coach DB's.

The bad news is, 3 of the top 5 WR's from the PAC-12 are coming back next year. We get to play all three.

I didn't have a lot of hope for McGill at corner. The kid is 6'4. How many 6'4 corners do you see out there? I was disappointed he didn't work out at safety although I love how Rowe has worked out so far.

[Jeromy in SLC]

Yes, from what I've read, Thomas has been one of the standouts of spring camp, not just at CB but for the team in general. As for Orphey, I recall reading something about an injury he had in the off-season that hindered his conditioning and has put him behind a little bit. In the fall, I see him competing with Keith McGill, Wykie Freeman (out during spring with an injury) and Hip Corporan for the corner spot opposite Thomas.

I saw a picture of Orphey with a club on his right hand. Don't know how long ago that happened, but would hinder weight training, and the ability to properly rough up a receiver out of the break (i.e. he can't "cheat" and grab a little handful of cloth). No idea what the injury was or it's nature/severity.

[SavaUte]

I saw a picture of Orphey with a club on his right hand. Don't know how long ago that happened, but would hinder weight training, and the ability to properly rough up a receiver out of the break (i.e. he can't "cheat" and grab a little handful of cloth). No idea what the injury was or it's nature/severity.

Not directly related to the discussion, but Chappuis has one too.