Four weeks and two scrimmages are in the books for Kyle Whittingham and his 2019 team. In the second scrimmage, the offense focused more heavily on honing their run game, while the offense showed that they will be tough to get past in the red zone. With many of the questions answered that can be answered at this point, before the rest of the 2019 signees arrive in the summer, this final week will be used to further install the offense while giving younger players a chance to show what they can do in a game-like situation on Saturday.
Here's what to keep an eye on in Utah's final week of spring ball.
Utah's running back depth will be on full display this Saturday
Throughout spring, it's become more and more apparent why Armand Shyne decided to transfer. While this isn't intended as a shot at Shyne, who did some really good things for the Utes during his time as Zack Moss's backup, the younger backs have started to emerge and show that they're more than capable of filling the hole that Shyne left. Devonta'e Henry-Cole has stepped up and shown that he'll be an exciting option to spell Moss this season, while TJ Green had a breakout performance in last weekend's scrimmage. There's also Devin Brumfield, who has continued to progress, and looks to be well on his way to being another bruising power back for the Utes. Green and Brumfield in particular should be able to show what they can do this Saturday, as Henry-Cole will likely only play a few series in the first half.
There's still one position battle left to watch
Though most of the positions are as settled as they can be at this point, there's still one that remains a major question mark, and their performance in the spring game could have big implications on what the coaches will do going forward. That position, of course, is kicker. While Chayden Johnston had a better performance in the second scrimmage, he's still yet to show the kind of consistency that the coaches like out of their kickers. If he can have a solid week of practice and a good showing in the spring game, he may go into fall camp as the starter, but if the struggles continue, the staff may have to look in another direction before fall camp rolls around.
Young players will have a chance to show what they can do
The starters that do see time on Saturday will likely only be in for a series or two before younger players take over and play out the remainder of the game. This will be a good chance for some of those young guys to prove that they can be counted on to provide quality depth this season. A few notable positions to keep an eye on are safety, linebacker, and defensive line. RJ Hubert, Nephi Sewell, Andrew Mata'afa, Sione Lund, Semisi Lauaki, and Fua Pututau are all guys that could position themselves nicely for playing time with a solid performance in the spring game, provided that they continue to perform well in fall camp.
Saturday will be a great chance to support the team and have some fun
When it comes down to it, the Red/White game is more about letting young players get some run and putting on a spectacle for the fans than it is about showing what the team is fully capable of. Don't be surprised if the offense is more focused on setting the kickers up to try and make some tougher kicks in a game-like situation than putting up big numbers and lighting up the scoreboard. As for the defense, we know that the scheme will be vanilla, and that many of the offensive starters will be off-limits to full contact. However, this is a great chance to get out on a nice day, do some tailgating, and enjoy a little football before the "deep off-season" begins. So get out on Saturday morning, have some fun, and be in your seats by 11:00 am for kickoff. Just don’t be disappointed if there aren’t enough offensive fireworks for you. There are few teams in the country that could line up and play tomorrow, clicking on all cylinders and Utah is no exception.
With week four in the books, we've updated the player power rankings. There wasn’t enough movement in our new poll with live work being limited and the fact that consistency had been key for the guys in this list:
