Utah Readies for Transition to Pac-12

February 23 2011 Last updated at 02:40 PM ET

It might be hard to believe, but Utah is in an unenviable position as it heads into spring football practice on March 8.

Yes, the Utes are making a much-anticipated move to the Pac-12, becoming the first non-AQ to make the jump to an AQ league since 2005, but they're doing so with no starting running back, no starters returning in the secondary, a new offensive coordinator and system, and a starting quarterback who's on the shelf because of shoulder surgery.

It's not the way coach Kyle Whittingham envisioned his entrance onto the Pac-12 stage.

Utah is 4-3 against the old Pac-10 since Whittingham took over in 2005. But those games were either bowl or non-conference games that were easy to get up for. Preparing the Utes to face the caliber of talent they will see in the Pac-12 game in and game out is going to take some time and some strong recruiting.

"I think depth is probably the factor there," Whittingham said. "When you're talking about playing the physical teams that we'll be playing week in and week out, I think your depth of your squad is going to become even more important than it was in the Mountain West Conference. I think that, really, in my opinion, is what separates conference from conference is the overall talent of your roster from one to 85. In my opinion, the teams in the Pac-12 have more depth on their rosters than what you find in the Mountain West Conference."

Whittingham, his staff and his players have spent countless hours watching film of various Pac-12 members, trying to establish tendencies, trends and see just where the Utes need to get better. One of those areas was offense, so Whittingham brought in former UCLA and USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow. Last season, the Utes went from averaging 45 points per game in the first eight games to just 11 in the final five.

Under Chow, the Utes are going to move from a shotgun offense to one that plays under center and uses a lot of play action and a power running game similar to the schemes several Pac-12 teams already employ. However, that's easier said than done. The Utes lost top backs Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata to graduation and heir apparent Sausan Shakerin quit football after suffering multiple concussions. So Whittingham is looking toward early enrollees John White and Harvey Langi to pick up the slack. He's also moving receiver Luke Matthews, who was fourth on the team in receiving with 289 yards an three touchdowns, to the backfield.

"We're starting essentially from scratch with the running back position," Whittingham said. "The good news is we have both John White and Harvey Langi both here in this semester, so those are two likely candidates to replace our departing running backs.

"Overall, heading into the spring I'd say job one on offense would be getting Norm's new wrinkles and additions to the offense installed and getting the running back situation sorted out."

Getting the offensive wrinkles installed poses another problem with starting quarterback Jordan Wynn watching from the sidelines. Wynn suffered a shoulder injury late last season and had surgery that forced him to miss the bowl game. Whittingham said he'll be at every practice and will be able to stand in and take snaps, but he won't be able to throw. Sophomore Griff Robles and incoming freshman Tyler Shreve will take the bulk of the snaps.

"You'd like to have Jordan available, but he's not, particularly when you're putting in a new system you'd like your quarterback to be taking the reps and getting the experience," Whittingham said. "The one thing that is definite with Jordan Wynn is that he's a student of the game. He's got a great football IQ. His football IQ is as good as Brian Johnson and Alex Smith, two of the great quarterbacks that have come through here. He's cut from the same cloth in terms of his preparation and his film study. His dedication to learning and being the best he can be."

Defensively, the Utes have to rebuild the secondary after losing corners Lamar Chapman and Brandon Burton and safety Justin Taplin-Ross. Sophomore Brian Blechlen, who was one of the Utes starting safeties last year, is moving to linebacker.

Whittingham said he doesn't know how his team will stack up against the Pac-12 in it's first season, but he's also realistic about some of the bumps the Utes might incur along the way. He and his staff are trying their best to put the Utes in the best position possible, but they know the transition might take some time.

"We tweak things each and every year just based on the fact that offensive and defensive schemes are constantly evolving," Whittingham said. "We make minor changes each year. We don't make any wholesale changes although bringing in Norm Chow is going to give us a different look on offense. We've just got to do our homework, find out what we're up against, and adjust accordingly."

Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2011/02/23/utah-readies-for-transition-to-pac-12/

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