The No. 17-ranked Utes got some bad news Wednesday morning when the program announced that leading receiver and offensive captain Dres Anderson will be out for the remainder of the season, thanks to a knee injury.
You never want to hear of any sort of season-ending injury, and losing Anderson will definitely have an impact on the team and how the Utes run their offense. That said, I don’t expect this unit to regress all that much.
Don’t get me wrong — the Red Rocket will be missed. I mean, he didn’t get the nickname Red Rocket for nothing. Anderson was Utah’s most explosive receiver with off-the-line breakaway speed. Anderson was able to keep opposing defenses honest because they saw and respected his quickness.
His ability to beat defenders deep or draw the double team allowed for other receivers to get open on shorter passes or slants — the type of pass that offensive coordinator Dave Christensen wants quarterback Travis Wilson throwing.
Speaking of Wilson, his job just got a lot harder without Anderson on the field. Anderson helped other receivers get open, and without him in the lineup, defenders will be playing tighter on Utah’s pass catchers. Wilson will have to be spot-on from here on out if he wants to keep his starting job.
However, I think this receiving corps will be just fine. Everyone will have to work that much harder to compensate for the loss of Anderson, but the Utes have the personnel to do it. With talented receivers such as Kenneth Scott, Kaelin Clay, Westlee Tonga and Tim Patrick on the team, Utah will not completely collapse in the passing game.
Something I’m sure coaches, players and fans alike are all interested to see is how Kenric Young, Anderson’s backup, should be in line to get reps in the injured senior’s place. Young has only seen time in the first two games of the season against Idaho State and Fresno State, but he may just be the perfect replacement.
A former track athlete in high school, Young has shown in practices that he has Anderson-type speed. Not only did he run track and play football in high school, but Young hails from the state of Florida, where some of the best football and track athletes in the nation reside.
If Young can come in and keep opposing defenses in check in a similar fashion that Anderson did, this Ute team might not even miss a beat. Losing a player with the injured senior’s talent would be a blow to nearly any team, but the Utes might just be the team to get through this.
Also, let’s not forget Mr. Anderson’s personality. This guy loves the spotlight, loves the camera and loves to talk, so it’s no surprise that the team elected to vote him as a team captain for 2014.
His duties as a receiver are over, but I’m willing to bet Anderson will remain very much a part of this team. You’ll see No. 6 on the sidelines of every game, trying to pump up his teammates and be the leader that he was born to be. Not to mention all of the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes into preparing for a football game that Anderson will probably remain a part of.
On a number of occasions this season, Utah has been punched in the mouth and knocked to the ground. This team is full of fighters, and while the Anderson injury will hurt, on and off the field, the Utes will move on and recover.
@GriffDoug