COACH AND PROGRAM
It would be easy for Utah coach Ron McBride to put his feet up and enjoy the success his Utes have had since he took over the program in 1990.
It took McBride just two years to turn a defense ranked last in the nation into one of the best in the conference. By 1994, the Ute defense moved onto the national leader board, moving 87 spots to No. 18 in the country.
The drastically improved defense has led to six bowl appearances, including last season’s 10-6 victory over Southern Cal in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl. The win over the Trojans gave Utah an 8-4 record, which included a 4-3 finish in the Mountain West Conference.
McBride knows he can’t relax in 2002 because the Utes must play Indiana, Arizona and Michigan on consecutive Saturdays.
"Thirteen years ago, we committed to play defensive football because that’s how you consistently beat good teams," said McBride, one of just nine head coaches in the country still at the same school he was back in 1990. "It is something I believe in and we’ve recruited to and we’ve had great coaches.
"Our strengths this year are the defensive front, the linebackers and the secondary. It all starts in the front and we are loaded with talent there. Defensive linemen are the difference makers and they are very hard to get."
McBride also likes what he sees on the offensive side of the football for the Utes in 2002.
"We are unbelievably deep at quarterback and receiver," he said. "In all my years of coaching, including when I was at Wisconsin and Arizona and my time as an assistant at Utah, I’ve never had three quarterbacks who can all play on game day like we have here this year.
"And we have 11 receivers who can help us. We’ve never had a situation like that."
McBride and the Utes can’t rest on their laurels because the 2002 schedule is a grueling one.
"This has got to be one of the toughest schedules in the country," he said. "Our first five games coming out of the gate are all tough and three of five are on the road.
"Then, we open conference play against Air Force. To play that kind of schedule, you have to be deep, you have to be good and you have to be committed."
Offensively, the strengths will be at quarterback, receiver and running back. The offensive line is the question mark.
Since Craig Ver Steeg took over as the Utah offensive coordinator two years ago, the offense has improved every season to one that produced 428.7 total yards last year -- good for No. 24 nationally.
Ver Steeg likes a solid running game, but last season 19 players caught passes, including the quarterback and an offensive tackle. He returns 21 lettermen this season to an offense that is already familiar to them.
Defensively, the line, the linebackers and the secondary are all considered strengths by McBride. Under eighth-year defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham, Utah has led the conference in scoring defense since 1998. The Utes have been ranked in the nation’s top 20 four times. Last year, the Utes led the MWC in scoring defense and total defense, finishing 13th and 17th, respectively, in the nation.
Nine starters return on defense, so Whittingham’s unit should be strong again in 2002.
QUARTERBACKS
Unlike in 2001 when there was plenty of competition for the job of starting quarterback, there is none in 2002.
" Lance [Rice] is the guy," McBride said. "I believe in him, Craig [Ver Steeg] believes in him and his teammates believe in him. He was elected team captain."
Rice (6-2, 203) is a junior whose strength is his experience at the Division I level and his smarts. Rice is 10-5 as Utah’s starter, and finished the 2001 season with a pass efficiency rating of 124.18, second best in the Mountain West Conference. He completed 56 percent of his pass attempts for 2,086 yards and took his game to a new level in the spring, learning to set his feet consistently, getting more air under the ball and doing a better job of reading coverage.
"Lance," McBride said, "is now a complete quarterback."
Competition for the No. 2 spot is between junior Ryan Breska (6-4, 220), who showed promise in relief in four games last fall, and sophomore Brett Elliott (6-3, 194).
"Elliott is the most improved of the three," McBride said. "Breska has the strongest throwing arm and Elliott is mobile and creative."
RUNNING BACKS
The nation’s 12th best rushing team lost more than 200 yards per game with the departure of seniors Dameon Hunter and Adam Tate. Hunter finished second in several single-season record categories at Utah, including most yards rushing (1,396). He was the nation’s ninth leading rusher in 2001, averaging 126.9 yards per game, while Tate averaged 74.5 yards per game.
Even without Hunter and Tate, the Utes have plenty of quality running backs. The leading rusher in the first game in 2001 was junior college transfer Marty Johnson (5-11, 222) Johnson walked on to the team in August, won a starting position and rushed for 95 yards against Utah State before injuring his ribs and sitting out the remainder of the season. A senior, Johnson won the starting job in the spring over speedy senior J.R. Peroulis (6-1, 207). Peroulis runs a 4.46 40, fastest of the Ute running backs.
At halfback, there is an abundance of depth, including junior Edwin Benton (5-10, 206) and converted sophomore receiver Morgan Scalley (5-10, 197). Scalley moved from receiver to running back midway through spring camp and had eight rushes for 66 yards in the spring game.
Sione Havili (6-1, 233), a sophomore who originally signed with BYU out of high school, caught McBride’s eye years ago at summer camp.
"When he was 12 years old, Sione was the best running back I’d ever seen at that age," McBride said. "I just can’t wait to see this guy play in college."
Havili can also play fullback -- a position won by red-shirt freshman Mike Austin (5-11, 225) in the spring.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Russell is off to the NFL, but this still might be Utah’s strongest receiving cast ever. The 2002 crew will get full-time attention from first-year Ute assistant coach Derek Mason, hired in February. Last fall, Vincent White oversaw both the running backs and wide receivers, but focused his attention on the runners while a graduate assistant did most of the day-to-day coaching of the receivers.
All-conference candidate Josh Lyman (6-0, 197), a senior, will start at split end coming off a 36-reception, five touchdown season in 2001. Second-year Ute Devin Houston (5-9, 177), a senior, won the starting job at flanker in the spring.
Behind Lyman is senior Paris Jackson (6-4, 216), although he spent the spring fending off surprise walk-on Travis LaTendresse (6-1, 191), a sophomore who burst into the top three at both X and Z receiver.
"He was the biggest surprise of the spring," McBride said.
Also in the picture are several freshmen and junior college signees, along with sophomore Lynzell Jackson (6-3, 180) and sophomore Justin Walterscheid (5-9, 171). Jackson was coveted by everyone for his tremendous athletic ability, but needed a year to get academically eligible.
Versatile starter Michael Richardson is gone, but junior Matt Hansen (6-5, 258) and sophomore J.D. Jorgensen (6-4, 253) played enough last year to know they’re part of a new era at Utah. Utilized almost exclusively as blockers for the last decade, the Ute tight ends took on another role -- receivers -- under first-year coordinator Ver Steeg in 2001. Tight ends caught 32 balls last fall, the most at Utah since 1992.
"Our tight ends are now primary on a lot of routes, so you’ll see them catching lots of passes," McBride said.
One player who will love the new role of Utah’s tight ends is junior Ben Moa (6-3, 270), formerly known as Ben Allison, who first signed with Utah back in 1999. He attended school at Utah for a year before transferring to Modesto Junior College, where he became a second-team All-American. Big, fast, and hard to tackle, Allison will immediately contend for the starting job in August.
Red-shirt freshman Chad Jacobsen (6-4, 226) offers an interesting option as a motion tight end who can block or without a substitution, split to wideout.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Two-time all-conference tackle Doug Kaufusi and fourth-round NFL draft pick Ta’amu graduated from last year’s line, which tied for first in the nation with Miami by allowing just five sacks.
McBride says the best player, senior Jordan Gross (6-5, 306) is still around.
"He is the best lineman in the conference, hands down," McBride said. "He is one of a kind. He is to our offense what [former All-American and current NFL star] Luther Elliss was to our defense.
"Jordan has all the tools in his box: size, speed, strength, explosiveness, toughness and desire."
Last year’s starting right guard, junior Sean Souza (6-5, 281), learned to play right tackle in the spring, leaving his old position in the hands of senior Tevita Vakalahi (6-1, 294). The starter at left guard is sophomore Chris Kemoeatu (6-4, 320), whose immense talent matches his size.
"Losing Ed [Ta’amu] was a wash because Chris has the same size, speed and strength and is probably a little meaner," McBride said.
Utah is good and deep at center with junior Dustin McQuivey (6-3, 294), perhaps the best returning center in the league, set to start for a third year and game-proven sophomore Max Petersen (6-2, 286) behind him.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The Mountain West chart ranking the league’s top 10 players in tackles for loss last fall featured four Utes -- three of them linemen -- and all are returning in 2002.
Two are first-team all-conference players -- junior rush end Jason Kaufusi (6-3, 250) and senior tackle Garrett Smith (6-3, 297). Had senior nose guard Lauvale Sape (6-2, 284) been a starter, he surely would have joined those two on the first team. Even so, he was accorded second-team honors by the conference.
At left end, junior Josh Savage (6-4, 273, Jr.) could also figure in the All-MWC balloting if he produces the kind of numbers he did last year as an unknown sophomore.
Key among the backups are senior Marcus Jones (6-2, 250), sophomore Sione Pouha (6-3, 296), red-shirt freshman Steve Fifita (6-0, 276) and junior Lewis Powell (6-3, 280).
LINEBACKERS
Senior rover Sheldon Deckart (6-2, 240), a first-team all-conference pick in 2001, is physically gifted, mentally tough and a candidate for league player of the year. He led Utah in tackles with 86, many acquired behind opposing offensive lines. His 13 tackles for loss and six sacks ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the MWC. Ideally suited for rover, Deckart’s speed is accentuated by his trademark crushing tackles.
Starter CR Dwinell graduated and left the middle open, but not for long. Sophomore Zach Tune (6-3, 248) has been groomed for this day and he must be at his best to start over over junior college All-American Ray Holdcraft (5-11, 247).
"Tune and Holdcraft looked so good in the spring that I think we’ll actually be better here," McBride said.
A starter returns at strong side linebacker, where Brooks Bahr (6-4, 228) is preparing for his senior year. An academic all-district player who is already working on his MBA, Bahr has displayed similar tenacity on the field. However, sophomore Corey Dodds (6-3, 219) came into his own in the spring and McBride said there isn’t much of a gap between the two, creating a good problem there.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Utah’s phenomenal safety duo of Antwoine Sanders (6-2, 200) and Arnold Parker (6-2, 210), who coined themselves "ASAP" during their marvelous sophomore seasons, will now play free safety and cornerback, respectively, vs. free safety and strong safety.
The change was necessitated by the emergence of junior Dave Revill (5-11, 203) at strong safety. In an effort to get their best players on the field, the defensive coaches moved Parker to cornerback, a position considered somewhat of a question mark before the change. The fastest player on the team, Parker runs a 4.39 40, and with his size, makes a great cover man. It won’t be a dramatic change for Parker, who had 55 tackles and six tackles for loss last year, since he has played every backfield position except free safety.
Strong safety is in good hands with Revill, who started there last year when Utah used its nickel package. At free safety, Sanders is gearing up for an All-America campaign.
Former running back D’Shaun Crockett (5-8, 186), a senior, will start for a second year at right corner, sharing time with athletic sophomore Bo Nagahi (5-9, 180), the team’s new starting nickel back. A great spring showing by senior Cody Weight (5-11, 186) puts him in the two deep at both nickel and left corner.
RECRUITING CLASS
The 2002 signing class includes seven junior college players and 17 high school standouts.
"Our coaching staff had to really compete to get this recruiting class put together," McBride said. "We were in a lot of tough recruiting battles that went down to the last minute of the last day.
"People liked our players so much that when they found out they were going to sign with us, they just kept taking shots at them. We did a good job of holding our ground on most of them."
One of the biggest catches was highly anticipated junior college transfer Thomas Herrion (6-4, 330).
"If Herrion is the player we think he is, we might be able to move Souza back to guard and play Thomas at tackle," McBride said.
Herrion played last year at Kilgore Junior College in Ft. Worth. The Utes also got running back Brandon Warfield (6-0, 230) out of Kilgore.
"Getting those two kids out of Texas was huge for us," McBride said.
Also from the junior college ranks, Utah signed tight end Ben Allison (6-3, 270) from Modesto Junior in Ogden, Utah.
The quarterback was Alex Smith (6-3, 190), an all-conference quarterback who was 25-1 as a two-year starter at Helix (Calif.) High School. He had offers from USC, Fresno State and Louisville.
The key signees on defense were linebacker Ray Holdcraft (5-11, 247) from Palomar Junior in Newport News, Va., defensive back Donta Bright (6-0, 185) from Eastern Arizona Junior College in Roswell, N.M. and Shaun Harper (5-10, 185), who played at Mission Bay High School in San Diego.
The Utah coaches are also excited about wide receiver Larry Miles (6-0, 170) from San Diego Mesa Junior College. He runs the 100 in 10.4 seconds.
Freshman Steven Savoy (5-11, 182) played in the spring after graduating from prep school early and absolutely wowed the coaches with his natural ability and savvy. "Steven runs great routes, gets open and catches the tough ball," says McBride of the freshman who will back up at flanker after playing split end in the spring.
Stephen Smith (6-0, 220), a running back from Lincoln High School in San Diego, chose Utah over Colorado. He signed as a running back, but can also play wide receiver and slot.
