Entering the spring, perhaps the most daunting task the Utes faced was replacing the heralded defensive line of last season. Defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, the team’s anchor over the last few years, will likely be a top-10 selection in this month’s NFL Draft. Defensive end Joe Kruger chose to skip his senior season and will join Lotulelei playing on Sundays. His brother Dave graduated and left another spot for defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake to fill.
Some injuries to returning players haven’t helped the process, but through the middle of the fourth week of spring ball, there is light at the end of the tunnel in filling all those holes. Previously unknown players are stepping into the system and learning the college game. They are beginning to adjust to life as starters, even if it is by small strides each practice.
“They made a lot of improvement in the first 10 practices, from what I’ve seen so far,” Sitake said. “Every day we’ve gotten better. With these older guys that have been out, it’s a good opportunity for these younger guys to get better.”
One of the injured veterans is Trevor Reilly, who underwent surgery in the offseason to repair a torn ACL. Reilly will be switching from linebacker to defensive end this season but won’t put the pads on until fall camp opens in August.
A pleasant surprise for Sitake has been the development of Stevie Tu’ikolovatu, Tenny Palepoi and Viliseni ‘Seni’ Fauonuku, all defensive tackles who have the responsibility of replacing Lotulelei, one of the most dominant players in recent Utah history.
“Obviously we like to see Tenny and Seni and Stevie and those guys come along,” Sitake said. “I’ve seen a lot of improvement and a lot of good things from that group. The good thing is there is a lot of talent there to work with, and we only have a few more practices to go, so we have to take advantage of every practice we get.”
Tu’ikolovatu said having big shoes to fill only makes the players want to work harder.
“It’s good for us,” he said. “It’s a big motivator.”
Last year, the Utes were second in the Pac-12 in rushing yards allowed, as they gave up just over 128 per game. Additionally, Utah was first in the conference in the number of first downs allowed per game. Palepoi wants to continue that trend in the 2013 season.
“Everyone needs to be consistent and do their job,” Palepoi said. “We just need to continue to take steps forward. We have a lot of talent here, and a lot of talent has come in. It’s just everyone learning what they need to do and picking up where Star [Lotulelei] and the Krugers left off.”