Do Utes have an ‘every down’ running back, or will it be by committee?

Utah Utes running back Micah Bernard (2) celebrates after scoring a touchdown as Utah and Northwestern play in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023. Northwestern won 14-7. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

With about two weeks to go until the University of Utah kicks off its season against Southern Utah, the Utes don’t have a clear No. 1 running back that will get the lion’s share of the carries.

In the past decade, Utah’s always had a No. 1 back — Devontae Booker, Joe Williams, Zack Moss, Ty Jordan, Tavion Thomas, JaQuinden Jackson — but heading into the 2024 season, an “every down” running back still hasn’t emerged.

That search has been one of the major themes of fall camp, with head coach Kyle Whittingham saying at Big 12 media days in July that the running back group was the position he had the most questions about heading into fall camp.

Though the running backs haven’t answered the question, so far, of who should get the majority of the carries, it’s not a unique situation for a team to start the season with a committee approach. In fact, the Utes did it in 2020, when they listed Devin Brumfield and Jordan Whitmore equally atop the season-opening depth chart. Brumfield, Whitmore and Jordan split carries in Utah’s first two games of the pandemic-shortened season before Jordan emerged as the star, running for 167 yards in a win over Oregon State.

Even if it’s not determined ahead of the season, someone should emerge from the pack when the lights come on, but if that doesn’t happen, Whittingham is OK with a committee approach — as long as there’s production — like the Utes employed in 2008, when Matt Asista and Darrell Mack split reps.

As of Monday, there’s no clear pecking order, with Whittingham slotting the running back position into…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/utes-every-down-running-back-020704345.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-08-14 02:07:04

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