The Utah depth chart was released Monday morning and, for the second time this season, Travis Wilson and Kendal Thompson have an “OR” separating them. The two quarterbacks are back to being co-starters.
What does this mean for the Utes’ matchup with No. 5 Oregon on Saturday? Well, who the hell even knows?
With the way the quarterback controversy has gone on and on this season, I’m not even sure head coach Kyle Whittingham really knows anymore. Whittingham has done a great job coaching two-thirds of the team. The fact that the Utes are 6-2 and contending for the Pac-12 South, all while not having a firm starting quarterback, is impressive in itself. But Whittingham and whoever else is involved with making this decision have gone about this quarterback battle all wrong.
First, battles typically happen before the season starts. I understand some players are just “gamers” and other players shy away from the spotlight, which is why it’s necessary to have both quarterbacks play in games and see how they react. But this issue should have been settled long ago. Whether it’s Wilson or Thompson, these coaches should have formed an identity with one quarterback weeks ago.
Speaking of identities, what is the offensive identity of this team? The Utes are clearly a run-first offense, led by workhorse Devontae Booker, so what are the coaches thinking? Wasn’t Wilson named the starter because he’s a better passer than Thompson?
Wilson’s yards per attempt was a measly 2.6 clip on Saturday night. How many chances did Wilson even get to throw the ball downfield? Some of that has to be attributed to the receivers not getting open, as the Sun Devil secondary was all over the Utah receivers.
Maybe this squad doesn’t have the speed and talent to get open routinely against a Pac-12 opponent. Maybe Dres Anderson opened up the field for other receivers more than most people thought. Or maybe, and I’m just spitballin’ here, this group is tired of working hard for nothing.
I’m willing to bet these receivers are growing tired with the quarterback shuffle that has been going on. Not only that, but the “passing” quarterback has hardly been passing at all, evident by the 52 running plays compared to the 22 passing. Booker should be involved in a bulk of the plays, as he is obviously Utah’s best offensive threat, but if I were a receiver, I’d be getting a little tired of going out there and running my routes or making my blocks and not getting anything thrown my way.
Then again, perhaps these receivers don’t feel this way at all and they are just happy to be part of the team. I just find it hard to believe this group is happy with the way things are going right now.
And that’s just it — no one knows what is going on in the mind of Kyle Whittingham, but the more this quarterback controversy sticks around, the more questions are warranted.
 
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