Head coach Kyle Whittingham would like to see the Utes approach each game as an opportunity to improve on all sides of the ball. Although he does not know what, specifically, his team will get to see and work on in its upcoming matchup with Fresno State, he does know it, will help the team figure out which direction they need to go.
“Every week is a good opportunity to execute well,” Whittingham said. “I thought we would have a little more improvement between week one and week two than what showed up, so we need to fix that.”
Whittingham wants to catch any sort of difficulties early on so his team can stay ahead of the curve.
Special teams and offensive improvement
Freshman Britain Covey is also enjoying the challenges that come with improving the offense. He is adjusting well to the team dynamics and works hard at every position. He brings a certain spark to the offense and knows the whole offensive unit has a lot more to show.
“I think in the first two games, we have shown flashes of what we can do with our offense,” Covey said. “But moving forward I think we are going to surprise a lot of people with how many weapons we have.”
Covey brings a maturity to the special teams and seems wise beyond his years.
From the coaches’ perspective, Covey fits in perfectly wherever he is on the field. He has been finishing plays as instructed, with the exception of making his own decisions on punt returns. He is already making big contributions to Utah, and special teams coordinator Morgan Scalley thinks Covey will become wiser as the season goes on in regards to knowing when to field a punt, or run it back.
“He’s a tough football player,” Scalley said. “He’ll learn when to make those decisions. Right now I don’t think he has been wrong with one.”
Receiving core getting more attention
The secret weapons Utah holds may not be so secret, but the team wants to continue to get receivers like Kenneth Scott and Devontae Booker more involved.
The receivers are focused on being more efficient with their catches, improving their skill level and making sure everyone gets their fair share of the spotlight. Getting every player involved will improve the offense, according to Scott.
“We’re doing really good right now with just getting the inside guys the ball and the tight ends and utilizing everybody,” said Scott. “Everybody wants the ball, but as long as we’re moving the ball and being consistent — that’s all that matters right now.”
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