Last season, Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig didn’t fool around too often.
Former quarterback Brett Ratliff would take a snap and then get it to one of the team’s “playmakers” as quickly as he could with short passes or handoffs. The casual Utah fan might have considered that kind of west coast-style offense to be a bit boring — particulary because of the lack of any deep throws.
That will not likely be the case this year. With their top six receivers back, a mobile “playmaker” at quarterback and a line that prides itself on pass protection, the Utes will take to the air much more this season.
“Explosive plays win games — that’s kind of our motto this year, so we’re going to take some chances,” said head coach Kyle Whittingham. “When you analyze games, it’s usually the team with more explosive plays that wins the game.”
Utah didn’t have too many such plays a year ago. With the exception of a 57-yard touchdown pass against BYU, no Ute completed a pass greater than 40 yards last season.
The Utes hope to change that this season now that they have quarterback Brian Johnson back. The junior, who sat out last season due to injury, will open up a number of new options for Ludwig and the Utes.
“We’ll just go with what fits our players’ strengths,” said U offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig. “Brian is an extremely accurate passer. The ball will be thrown downfield plenty because we have the guys for that.”
Catching those downfield passes for the Utes will be sure-handed seniors Brian Hernandez and Derrek Richards, speedy playmakers Brent Casteel and Marquis Wilson and lengthy go-getters Freddie Brown and Bradon Godfrey. The biggest deep threat in the group is probably Wilson, who caught the 57-yard touchdown pass against the Cougars.
“We’ve got a lot of potential and we’ve got a lot of good players, but they still have to get out there and prove themselves,” Whittingham said. “The bottom line is that when the plays are there to be made, you’ve got to make them.”
One Ute who has proven he can make those plays is Casteel. The nimble junior caught 600 yards’ worth of passes and slashed his way to an additional 262 yards on the ground.
“Brent’s an explosive and dynamic player, and he will be prominently featured in our plans,” Ludwig said.
Of course, none of the explosive players could do anything without solid blocking from the offensive line, and that’s something the Ute big men take a lot of pride in. Last season, the group didn’t allow Ratliff to be sacked once in the first six games of the season.
But the line took a huge hit earlier this offseason when senior left tackle and All-MWC candidate Jason Boone went down with a season-ending knee injury. Since then, the line has gone through a few changes.
“We had some new guys and some people switching positions, but for the most part, we’ve gelled really well,” said Utah offensive tackle Zane Beadles. “With the reps we’ve had through fall camp, I think we’re ready to go.”
So with the offensive line, quarterback and wide receivers all ready and capable of putting together a respectable passing game, the Utes have nothing left in their way.
Johnson is quick to point out, however, that although those longer passes are fun to watch, the likelihood of completing them is pretty low.
“We’re definitely going to take plenty of vertical shots down the field, but at the same time you have to be cautious because those deep passes aren’t completed often,” Johnson said.
