2018 Utah Utes football team

Utah Utes football
	2018 Utah Utes football
Pac-12 South Division champion
Pac-12 Championship Game, ; L 3–10 vs. Washington
Holiday Bowl, L 20–31 vs. Northwestern
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
	South Division
2018 record	9–5 (6–3 Pac-12)
Head coach	Kyle Whittingham (14th season)
Offensive coordinator	Troy Taylor (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Morgan Scalley (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Rice–Eccles Stadium; (Capacity: 45,807)
	Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

Template:2018 Pac-12 football standings The 2018 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Utes were led by 14th-year head coach Kyle Whittingham and played their home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT. They were members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

The Utes completed the regular season with a 6–3 record in conference play, winning the South Division for the first time since joining the Pac-12 Conference in 2011. In the Pac-12 Championship Game, the team lost to North Division champion Washington by a score of 10–3. They were invited to the Holiday Bowl to play Big Ten Conference runner-up Northwestern, where the Utes lost by a score of 31–20 to end the year at 9–5 overall.

Utah was led on offense by quarterback Tyler Huntley until he suffered a season-ending collarbone fracture in the game against Arizona State on November 3. Redshirt freshman Jason Shelley started for the rest of the season.^[2] Running back Zack Moss compiled 1,096 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Two members of the Utah offensive line earned first-team all-conference honors, Jordan Agasiva and Jackson Barton. Utah's defense featured four members of the first-team All-Pac-12: defensive linemen Bradlee Anae and Leki Fotu, linebacker Chase Hansen, and cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Hansen led the conference in tackles for loss with 22, and Anae tied for the conference lead in sacks with 8.^[3]

Previous season[]

The Utes finished the 2017 season 7–6, 3–6 in Pac-12 play to finish in fifth place in the South Division. They were invited to the Heart of Dallas Bowl where they defeated West Virginia.

Preseason[]

Position key[]

Back	B	Center	C	Cornerback	CB	Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE	Defensive lineman	DL	Defensive tackle	DT	End	E
Fullback	FB	Guard	G	Halfback	HB	Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR	Offensive tackle	OT	Offensive lineman	OL	Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS	Punter	P	Punt returner	PR	Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB	Safety	S	Tight end	TE	Wide receiver	WR

Recruits[]

The Utes signed a total of 20 recruits.

2018 Recruits

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Hunter Lotulelei OG	[[Salt Lake City, Utah]]	Highland High School	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	213 lb (97 kg)	Jun 17, 2016
Hunter Lotulelei OG	Scout: Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png ESPN:
Jack Tuttle QB	[[San Marcos, California]]	Mission Hills High School	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	195 lb (88 kg)	Dec 16, 2016
Jack Tuttle QB	Scout:File:4 stars.svg.png Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png ESPN:
Malone Mataele DB	[[Rancho Santa Margarita, California]]	Santa Margarita Catholic High School	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)	170 lb (77 kg)	Apr 21, 2017
Malone Mataele DB	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:
Tevita Fotu TE	[[Herriman, Utah]]	Herriman High School	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	250 lb (110 kg)	Oct 8, 2017
Tevita Fotu TE	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:N/A
Terrell Perriman WR	[[Miami, Florida]]	Miami Central High School	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)	176 lb (80 kg)	Nov 3, 2017
Terrell Perriman WR	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:
Braeden Daniels OL	[[Carrollton, Texas]]	Hebron High School	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	260 lb (120 kg)	Dec 17, 2017
Braeden Daniels OL	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:
Jeremiah Jordan DE	[[Stone Mountain, Georgia]]	Mt. San Jacinto College	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)	250 lb (110 kg)	Dec 17, 2017
Jeremiah Jordan DE	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:N/A
Bryant Pirtle LB	[[Louisville, Kentucky]]	Pima Community College	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	235 lb (107 kg)	Dec 20, 2017
Bryant Pirtle LB	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:File:4 stars.svg.png
Paul Maile DT	[[Salt Lake City, Utah]]	East High School	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	250 lb (110 kg)	Dec 23, 2017
Paul Maile DT	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:
Andrew Mataafa LB	[[San Diego, California]]	San Diego High School	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	205 lb (93 kg)	Dec 29, 2017
Andrew Mataafa LB	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:
Vonte Davis CB	[[Rosenberg, Texas]]	Blinn College	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jan 14, 2018
Vonte Davis CB	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:N/A
Blake Kuithe DE	[[Katy, Texas]]	Cinco Ranch High School	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	230 lb (100 kg)	Jan 14, 2018
Blake Kuithe DE	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:
Brant Kuithe WR	[[Katy, Texas]]	Cinco Ranch High School	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	212 lb (96 kg)	Jan 14, 2018
Brant Kuithe WR	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:
Jackson Cravens DT	[[Provo, Utah]]	Timpview High School	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	285 lb (129 kg)	Feb 3, 2018
Jackson Cravens DT	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:
Thomas Yassmin TE	[[New South Wales, Australia]]	The Scots College	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	230 lb (100 kg)	Feb 6, 2018
Thomas Yassmin TE	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:N/A
Devin Brumfield RB	[[Covington, Louisiana]]	Covington High School	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)	219 lb (99 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
Devin Brumfield RB	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:
Solomon Enis WR	[[Phoenix, Arizona]]	North Canyon High School	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	190 lb (86 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
Solomon Enis WR	Scout:File:4 stars.svg.png Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png ESPN:File:4 stars.svg.png
Simi Moala DE	[[Hawthorne, California]]	Cathedral High School	6 ft 7 in (201 cm)	250 lb (110 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
Simi Moala DE	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:
Mika Tafua DE	[[Maui, Hawaii]]	Kamehameha Schools	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	210 lb (95 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
Mika Tafua DE	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:
Tareke Lewis CB	[[Palatka, Florida]]	Riverside City College	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)	170 lb (77 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
Tareke Lewis CB	Scout: Rivals: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Utah Football Commitments". Rivals.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/commitments/2018/alabama-utah. Retrieved January 19, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. http://www.rivals.com/TeamRank.asp?type=0&sort=0&year=2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.

Award watch lists[]

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
Lott Trophy^[4]	Chase Hansen	LB	SR
Rimington Trophy^[5]	Lo Falemaka	C	SR
Chuck Bednarik Award^[6]	Julian Blackmon	CB	JR
Chuck Bednarik Award^[6]	Bradlee Anae	DE	JR
Maxwell Award^[7]	Zack Moss	RB	JR
Doak Walker Award^[8]	Zack Moss	RB	JR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy^[9]	Julian Blackmon	CB	JR
Outland Trophy^[10]	Lo Falemaka	C	SR
Lou Groza Award^[11]	Matt Gay	K	SR
Ray Guy Award^[12]	Mitch Wishnowsky	P	SR
Wuerffel Trophy^[13]	Chase Hansen	DB	SR
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award^[14]	Tyler Huntley	QB	JR

Pac-12 Media Days[]

The 2018 Pac-12 media days are set for July 25, 2018 in Hollywood, California. Kyle Whittingham (HC), Chase Hanson (LB) & Lo Falemaka (OL) at Pac-12 Media Days. The Pac-12 media poll was released with the Utes predicted to finish in second place at Pac-12 South division.^[15]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll (South)
1	USC	225 (22)
2	Utah	209 (14)
3	Arizona	178 (3)
4	UCLA	116 (2)
5	Colorado	80 (1)
6	Arizona State	72

Schedule[]

Utah announced their 2018 football schedule on November 16, 2017.^[16] The Utes will play FCS Weber State and Northern Illinois and returning to the traditional last game of the year spot, Utah will play in-state rival BYU Cougars football in out-of-conference play. In Pac-12 conference play, the Utes will not play cross-divisional foes California and Oregon State.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	6:00 p.m.	No. 8 (FCS) Weber State*		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	P12N	W 41–10	45,988
September 8	5:30 p.m.	at Northern Illinois*		Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPNews	W 17–6	16,762
September 15	8:00 p.m.	No. 10 Washington		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	ESPN	L 7–21	47,445
September 29	4:00 p.m.	at Washington State		Martin Stadium Pullman, WA	P12N	L 24–28	30,088
October 6	8:30 p.m.	at No. 14 Stanford		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	ESPN	W 40–21	37,244
October 12	8:00 p.m.	Arizona		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	ESPN	W 42–10	45,862
October 20	6:00 p.m.	USC		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	P12N	W 41–28	46,405
October 26	8:30 p.m.	at UCLA	No. 23	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	ESPN	W 41–10	41,848
November 3	2:00 p.m.	at Arizona State	No. 16	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ	P12N	L 20–38	46,445
November 10	3:30 p.m.	Oregon		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	P12N	W 32–25	46,275
November 17	11:30 a.m.	at Colorado	No. 21	Folsom Field Boulder, CO (Rumble in the Rockies)	P12N	W 30–7	39,360
November 24	8:00 p.m.	BYU*	No. 18	Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT (Holy War/Beehive Boot)	FS1	W 35–27	46,017
November 30	6:00 p.m.	vs. No. 10 Washington	No. 17	Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, CA (Pac-12 Championship Game)	FOX	L 3–10	35,134
December 31	5:00 p.m.	vs. Northwestern*	No. 20	SDCCU Stadium San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl)	FS1	L 20–31	47,007
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

Source: ^[17]

Game summaries[]

Weber State[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
No. 8 (FCS) Wildcats	10	0	0	0	10
Utes	7	10	14	10	41

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
4–0	2013	UTAH, 70–7

at Northern Illinois[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Utes	0	0	7	10	17
Huskies	3	0	0	3	6

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

Washington[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
No. 10 Huskies	7	7	7	0	21
Utes	7	0	0	0	7

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–10	2017	WASH, 33–30

at Washington State[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Utes	14	7	3	0	24
Cougars	7	14	0	7	28

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
7–8	2017	WSU, 33–25

at Stanford[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Utes	7	17	3	13	40
No. 14 Cardinal	0	7	14	0	21

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
4–4	2017	STAN, 23–20

Arizona[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Wildcats	0	0	3	7	10
Utes	14	14	7	7	42

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
22–19–2	2017	UTAH, 30–24

USC[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Trojans	14	0	0	14	28
Utes	7	13	14	7	41

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
5–11	2017	USC, 28–27

at UCLA[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
No. 23 Utes	3	14	21	3	41
Bruins	7	0	3	0	10

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
5–11	2017	UTAH, 48–17

at Arizona State[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
No. 16 Utes	7	10	3	0	20
Sun Devils	14	7	0	17	38

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
8–21	2017	ASU, 30–10

Oregon[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Ducks	0	7	10	8	25
Utes	10	9	3	10	32

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
9–22	2017	ORE, 41–20

at Colorado[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
No. 21 Utes	0	7	17	6	30
Buffaloes	7	0	0	0	7

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
29–32–3	2017	UTAH, 24–13

BYU[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Cougars	13	7	7	0	27
No. 18 Utes	0	0	14	21	35

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
57–31–4	2017	UTAH, 19–13

The Utes scored 28 unanswered points and overcame a 27–7 deficit in the third quarter to defeat their in-state rival, the BYU Cougars, for the eighth consecutive time.

vs. Washington (Pac-12 Championship Game)[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
No. 17 Utes	0	0	3	0	3
No. 10 Huskies	0	3	7	0	10

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–11	2018	WASH, 21–7

vs. Northwestern (Holiday Bowl)[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
No. 20 Utes	14	6	0	0	20
Wildcats	0	3	28	0	31

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–1	1981	UTAH, 42–0

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	NR	RV	RV	23	16	RV	21	18	17	20	RV
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	NR	RV	RV	24	16	24	19	17	17	19	RV
CFP	Not released									15	NR	19	17	17	17	Not released

Players drafted into the NFL[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
2	47	Marquise Blair	S	Seattle Seahawks
3	88	Cody Barton	LB	Seattle Seahawks
4	110	Mitch Wishnowsky	P	San Francisco 49ers
5	145	Matt Gay	K	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7	240	Jackson Barton	OT	Indianapolis Colts

References[]

↑ Rice-Eccles Stadium. The University of Utah. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
↑ Kragthorpe, Kurt (November 5, 2018). "Utes QB Tyler Huntley officially is out for the season, but he may play in a bowl game". https://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-utes/2018/11/05/utes-qb-tyler-huntley/.
↑ "2018 Pacific-12 Conference Year Summary". https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/pac-12/2018.html.
↑ "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best" (in en-US). http://lottimpacttrophy.org/2018-watch-list/.
↑ "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. http://www.rimingtontrophy.com/news/?article_id=100. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
↑ "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List - Maxwell Football Club" (in en-US). Maxwell Football Club. 2018-07-16. https://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/2018-maxwell-bednarik-watch-list/.
↑ "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. https://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/2018-maxwell-watch-list. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
↑ "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. https://www.smu.edu/DoakWalkerAward/Candidates. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
↑ "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. http://touchdownclub.com/nagurski-trophy/watch-list/. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
↑ "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/news/2018/outland180724.html. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
↑ "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2018 Preseason Watch List". July 25, 2018. http://www.lougrozaaward.com/Current_Watch_List.html. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
↑ "Ray Guy Award preseason watch list unveiled". July 25, 2018. http://www.augustachronicle.com/news/20180725/ray-guy-award-preseason-watch-list-unveiled. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
↑ "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. https://www.wuerffeltrophy.org/news1/wuerffel-trophy-unveils-2018-watch-list. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
↑ "Watch List for 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ® Presented by A. O. Smith Announced". August 14, 2018. http://www.goldenarmfoundation.com/watch-list-2018-johnny-unitas-golden-arm-award-presented-o-smith-announced/. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
↑ "Washington picked as Pac-12 favorite in preseason media poll". July 25, 2018. http://pac-12.com/article/2018/07/25/washington-picked-pac-12-favorite-media-preseason-poll/news/?article_id=100. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
↑ Facer, Dirk (November 16, 2017). "Utah's 2018 football schedule released by Pac-12; Utes to face BYU last week of season". https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865692855/Utahs-2018-football-schedule-released-by-Pac-12-Utes-to-face-BYU-last-week-of-season.html.
↑ 2018 Utah Utes football schedule. FBSchedules.com. Retrieved Dec 4, 2017.

[1] Rice-Eccles Stadium. The University of Utah. Retrieved April 19, 2017.

[2] Kragthorpe, Kurt (November 5, 2018). "Utes QB Tyler Huntley officially is out for the season, but he may play in a bowl game". https://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-utes/2018/11/05/utes-qb-tyler-huntley/.

[3] "2018 Pacific-12 Conference Year Summary". https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/pac-12/2018.html.

[4] "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best" (in en-US). http://lottimpacttrophy.org/2018-watch-list/.

[5] "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. http://www.rimingtontrophy.com/news/?article_id=100. Retrieved July 14, 2018.

[6] "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List - Maxwell Football Club" (in en-US). Maxwell Football Club. 2018-07-16. https://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/2018-maxwell-bednarik-watch-list/.

[7] "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. https://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/2018-maxwell-watch-list. Retrieved July 17, 2018.

[8] "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. https://www.smu.edu/DoakWalkerAward/Candidates. Retrieved July 18, 2018.

[9] "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. http://touchdownclub.com/nagurski-trophy/watch-list/. Retrieved July 24, 2018.

[10] "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/news/2018/outland180724.html. Retrieved July 24, 2018.

[11] "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2018 Preseason Watch List". July 25, 2018. http://www.lougrozaaward.com/Current_Watch_List.html. Retrieved July 25, 2018.

[12] "Ray Guy Award preseason watch list unveiled". July 25, 2018. http://www.augustachronicle.com/news/20180725/ray-guy-award-preseason-watch-list-unveiled. Retrieved July 25, 2018.

[13] "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. https://www.wuerffeltrophy.org/news1/wuerffel-trophy-unveils-2018-watch-list. Retrieved July 26, 2018.

[14] "Watch List for 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ® Presented by A. O. Smith Announced". August 14, 2018. http://www.goldenarmfoundation.com/watch-list-2018-johnny-unitas-golden-arm-award-presented-o-smith-announced/. Retrieved August 17, 2018.

[15] "Washington picked as Pac-12 favorite in preseason media poll". July 25, 2018. http://pac-12.com/article/2018/07/25/washington-picked-pac-12-favorite-media-preseason-poll/news/?article_id=100. Retrieved July 25, 2018.

[16] Facer, Dirk (November 16, 2017). "Utah's 2018 football schedule released by Pac-12; Utes to face BYU last week of season". https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865692855/Utahs-2018-football-schedule-released-by-Pac-12-Utes-to-face-BYU-last-week-of-season.html.

[17] 2018 Utah Utes football schedule. FBSchedules.com. Retrieved Dec 4, 2017.

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Pac-12 South Division champion
2018 Utah Utes football
Pac-12 Championship Game, L 3–10 vs. Washington
Holiday Bowl, L 20–31 vs. Northwestern
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
Division	South Division
2018 record	9–5 (6–3 Pac-12)
Head coach	Kyle Whittingham (14th season)
Offensive coordinator	Troy Taylor (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Morgan Scalley (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Rice–Eccles Stadium (Capacity: 45,807)^[1]
Seasons ← 2017 2019 →