Utah football: Will one running back carry the load or will it be by committee in 2020?

Running back Devin Brumfield runs a drill as the University of Utah football team opens spring camp in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 2, 2020. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Also, two QBs getting reps, but don’t expect a starter to be named until game week

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham noted that ideally the Utes would like to have a lead running back as they had the past couple of seasons in Zack Moss. However, it’s not a must-have, as Devin Brumfield, Jordan Wilmore, Ty Jordan and Micah Bernard headline a cast of candidates for the job.

“As long as you’re getting production in the run game that you need and whether that’s by one guy primarily or two or three guys contributing, I don’t think that’s really a big concern,” Whittingham said. “So we’ll just continue to get them all reps and see if we can get some separation or see if there is any separation, and then go from there.”

STAYING SILENT: Don’t ask Whittingham who will start at quarterback for the Utes in the Nov. 7 opener against Arizona. He isn’t saying, even though the competition between Jake Bentley, Drew Lisk and Cam Rising has been reduced to two as far as reps go following Saturday’s scrimmage.

“No, we’re not going to make any definitive announcement on that — even with the starter until game week,” said Whittingham, who added that even an announcement then could come Wednesday or Thursday. “We’ll just keep that to ourselves because really no reason to tip your hand, none at all. It just doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t provide us any advantage and so that’s how we’ll handle that.”

SCRIMMAGE STUDY: Last Saturday’s scrimmage featured some good things and some areas that need work. The latter included some sloppy play that was expected with the amount of new players in the program.

Whittingham said the Utes will need every bit of the remaining three weeks before the season to get the guys ready.

“But we are starting to see some separation in certain positions,” he explained, noting the priorities continue to be settling the quarterback situation and deciding on the secondary.

EXTRA POINTS: A battle for kicker has ensued with sophomore incumbent Jadon Redding and freshman Jordan Noyes, a walk-on from England. Noyes, Whittingham notes, may hold an edge at this point. ... Whittingham said the Utes have 10 offensive linemen that they feel good about and are getting the reps in camp. ... The second and final camp scrimmage is set for Saturday.

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/3j7gCT2